


Cry Wolf

by dolliewithasmile



Category: The Boy (2016 Bell), The Boy - Fandom
Genre: Abusive Behavior, Controlling, F/M, Forced Relationship, Manipulation, Mental Illness, Possessive Behavior, Stockholm Syndrome, Violence, mental health, prisoner, violent behavior
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-05-21 04:25:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 15
Words: 55,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14908295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dolliewithasmile/pseuds/dolliewithasmile
Summary: Set months after Greta stabbed Brahms and left him for dead. Brahms has had to take care of himself, his psyche further breaking from his isolation. One day he has the excellent idea to write into the local newspaper, posting a job for a live-in nanny. Months pass and his hope begins to fade, knowing that the rumors that circulate amongst the people of his town have no doubt scared away any potential nannies from accepting the job, until someone calls the house and he hears a soft voice on the other end of the line inquiring about the nanny position.This fic will include trigger warnings, I'll warn you at the beginning of those chapters, that way you can skip it if needed.





	1. Betrayal

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warning for blood/injury.

Brahms stood in front of the gramophone, his eyes closed as the loud classical music calmed him down to his core, washing away his cares, if only for a while. His hand moved absentmindedly to his abdomen, feeling the slightly raised pink scar, the evidence of Greta's betrayal. He winced in remembrance of the pain, it had been months since Greta had thrust the screwdriver forward into his belly and left with Malcolm close in tow, and even still he could feel the pain of when it had ripped through his insides. Rage began to bubble up inside him, he clutched the edge of the gramophone and inhaled deeply through his nostrils, mentally forcing the painful images away, allowing the music of Miserere Mei Deus to soothe him. 

He still couldn't understand why she had left him, he had been a good boy, hadn't he? Sure, he hid her shoes now and again and stole things that were hers and never gave them back, but she hadn't even missed them. He did as he was told, listened to his lessons, ate all his food, went to bed on time, and above all else, he had saved her life when she had asked it of him.

 _Greta had held him close that night, tears streaming down her cheeks as she asked him, no,_ begged him _to help her. His heart ached seeing her in such a state, his strong, independent Greta had been broken by this man and reduced to a weak state. He couldn't deny her anything, he would've done anything to make her happy._

_After Greta had fallen asleep, he left his place in the walls through his fireplace and stood at the edge of his childhood bed, looking down at her sleeping figure. Tears stung his eyes as he reached out slowly and wiped the dampness from her soft cheeks, easing himself down to press a kiss to her forehead through the porcelain. "It will be okay, Greta, I promise, I'll get rid of the bad man", he said softly, barely a whisper._

_Brahms had lifted her left arm up and eased his doll self out from under her grasp and gently rested her arm back down. With one final look at Greta, he squared his shoulders and left the room, rage building up inside him, he wouldn't allow this intruder to take her away, to hurt his Greta. He looked through the keyhole in the billiard room and watched Cole's chest rise up and down slowly as he slept, a bottle of whiskey empty beside him on the floor. He ground his teeth together in anger as he watched him, forcing himself to not charge forward and kill him, he would be a good boy for Greta, he would scare him away, she would appreciate his restrain. He propped the doll by the door and ventured outside to where the traps were, his nose wrinkling in disgust as he emptied them out, the rats' bodies lifeless in his large hands, how he hated vermin, but he would push the disdain aside for now, he had a job to do._

_Brahms stepped back inside the house and walked over to the billiard room, taking a deep breath in through his nose before he slowly turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. Cole lay passed out, snoring every so often, oblivious to the tall male presence in the room hovering just inches away. Brahms looked down at Cole's open backpack and dropped the dead rats into it, all but one. He climbed onto the end table at the left side of the couch and looked down at the rat in his hands, he gripped its head between his fingers and gave it a jerk, a sickening snapping sound emanating through the quiet room. He tossed the rats head into Cole's backpack and stuffed his right pointer finger into the gaping wound where its head once was, coating his finger in its blood. Slowly he began to paint its blood on the wall above Cole's sleeping body, writing "Get Out". After he had finished, he climbed down from the table and tossed the rat with the others into Cole's pack and left the room to grab his doll self. He propped the doll up in a chair across from Cole and quickly left the room by squeezing behind the large mirror into the hole in the wall, his heart hammering hard against his chest, surely this would be enough to frighten the bad man away, now he could be with Greta forever._

_He watched Cole with excitement, absentmindedly wiping the blood off on his green cardigan, his breath coming out hot against the porcelain mask. It wasn't long before Cole stirred, the bloody words of warning on the wall dripping onto his sleeping face. Cole left the couch to walk across the room to the light switch and turned it on, looking down at his hands in confusion, when he saw the blood he turned and stepped forward towards the writing on the wall, his hands trembling in anger. "Greta!" He yelled, shaking his fists. When Cole didn't hear Greta running down the stairs, he called her name a second time, even louder._

_Greta hurried down the stairs, her heart pounding, "Cole?" She asked as she stepped into the billiard room, as Brahms watched them, he knew right then and there his tactic wouldn't be enough, he was going to hurt her if he didn't do something and soon._

_As Cole lifted up the doll by its feet and smashed its head, Brahms felt anger boil within his veins, that doll had been his only connection to Greta, the only way he could've ever been with her, and the bad man had destroyed it. Brahms moved through the walls, banging his fists against the areas where picture frames hung, grabbing at the wires of the light fixtures until they flashed, this was going to be his last attempt at dealing with Cole the way a good boy would, if he didn't leave, his hand would be forced and he would have no choice but to be a bad boy._

_When Cole remained in the room and refused to leave, Brahms saw red, he grabbed the attic hook he had stolen from Greta - so she couldn't venture into the attic again - and stepped over to the two way mirror, watching as Cole stepped closer to it, no doubt hearing Brahms's breathing and footsteps. Brahms had slammed the attic hook into the mirror, causing it to shatter into a million pieces and Cole to fall backwards onto the floor. With a deep breath, Brahms pushed aside every instinct to hide himself from Greta, and stepped forward, climbing out of the thin hole in the wall._

_He would never forget the look of sheer terror on her face when she saw him,_ please Greta, don't be afraid, I know I'm not small, but I'd never hurt you _, he wanted to tell her. His eyes traveled to the man on the floor and he growled, charging at him with the attic hook raised high. Malcolm pushed at him, trying to keep him away from Cole, but Brahms wouldn't be deterred, he brought down the hook hard at Malcolm's face, beating him until he finally fell and relented. Brahms pushed Greta's hands away from him as she struggled to push him off of Cole, and he brought his hands down hard on the bad man's throat, squeezing it until Cole's face began to turn a light shade of purple. Cole struggled beneath him, and Brahms knew that soon he would break free, he searched around him for something, anything he could use, when he spied a large shard of the doll's face,_ **his** _face._

 _Grabbing the shard in his hands, Brahms thrust it forward into Cole's neck until blood began to spew like a fountain, spurting all over his mask and the front of his white shirt. Within seconds, Cole's movements eased and he went limp, his face forever twisted, depicting the final terrifying moments of his death. Brahms turned to face Greta, pride welling up inside him,_ I did it, _he thought,_ I stopped the bad man, Greta. _But Greta was anything but grateful, her face was scrunched up in disgust, her eyes wide with horror, she was_ scared _of him._

 _Brahms walked forward, his arms outreached, but she ran from him, his heart began to hurt, he would've never hurt her! He chased after her, wrapping her in his arms, he nuzzled his face against her ear, wanting to whisper to her soothing words of comfort, show her that he never would have hurt her, especially after he had just saved her, she was his to love and care for, and he would for the rest of his life. He drug her from the room, wanting to take her away from the carnage that he had left in the center of the room, he needed to shield her eyes from his bad deed. Greta screamed and struggled against him, gasping out "no" and "please"._ Greta, please understand _.._

 _Malcolm rose up behind Brahms and struck him in the back of the head, Brahms released Greta and collapsed, his mind becoming blurry, images shifting and duplicating._ Greta, please, don't leave me! _After a moment his vision became clear and he grabbed the attic hook, frantically listening for the hurried footsteps of Greta and Malcolm._

 _Brahms had chased after them, his anger causing his hands to shake, how dare he hurt him when all he was trying to do was save Greta!_ He just wants her for himself, he's wanted her ever since the first day she came here, but he won't have her, she is **mine**. I'll kill him too if I have to. I'll kill them all until it's just me and Greta, she'll see, she'll see how much I love her. 

_Finally he had them cornered within the walls, his grip tightening on the attic hook, Malcolm was a bad man too, he had known it the moment he saw how he had looked at Greta, all he wanted was to steal her from him. With a frustrated growl, Brahms charged at Malcolm, tackling him to the ground, he raised the attic hook high above his head and brought it down, bludgeoning Malcolm in the side of the head until his body lay still beneath him. Brahms dropped the attic hook and turned his attention to Greta, a small smile tugging at his lips, it was just them now, he had gotten rid of the bad men._

_"Greta? Come back.." Brahms pleaded weakly in a high pitched voice, sadness tugging at his heart when he saw the terrified look in her eyes as she slammed her shoulder against the door, trying desperately to get away from him. What had he done wrong? Why was she trying to leave him? Hadn't he been a good boy? "I'll be good. I will!" He smiled in hope._

_Greta's eyes filled with tears and she turned her attention from him, jostling the door once more, paying no heed to his pleas. Red hot anger began to singe his veins, a low growl leaving his throat as he moved forward, "Greta. Get back here." He demanded, his voice lowering in octave. She wasn't listening, but she was his, he was the master of the estate, she had to do what he said! "Get back here." He commanded, his voice now lowering to its normal pitch, the change in his voice causing his vocal cords to strain._

_Greta pushed the door open and Brahm's eyes widened, he moved forward, reaching out for her, "Don't leave me." He growled, desperate. She sobbed as she moved through the door, running off into the night. Brahm's eyes began to sting with tears, he yelled out, "You get back here! If you leave I'll kill him! I'll kill him just like the others!"_

_But she hadn't come back, she had left him. Brahms looked down at Malcolm, noticing that his chest was still rising and falling at a steady pace, lost to unconsciousness, how easy it would have been to strangle the life out of him, to thrust the attic hook's broken end into his stomach, spilling his guts out onto the dirty floor. But he couldn't, Brahms knew she was fond of Malcolm, they were friends, what if she came back? She would be cross with him for hurting her friend, and that he couldn't have._

_Brahms took the hook with him and stood, walking back to his bedroom within the walls. His shoulders slumped over in defeat, she wouldn't come back, not with the way she had looked at him just before she had run away, she hated him. He had been a bad boy and she couldn't forgive him for that. Sniffling, he eased his mask upwards and wiped at his tired, teary eyes, his shoulders trembling as he cried for his lost Greta._

_He heard a door open in the distance and his eyes widened in shock, could it be her? No..it was probably the police, she had called the authorities on him and they would find him and catch him. She wouldn't come back for him. With a deep breath, Brahms lowered his mask and left the walls through the hidden space in one of the fireplaces, ready to face the authorities that had no doubt come to arrest him for being a bad boy. As he left the room and stepped into the hallway, his eyes widened as he saw Greta. She had come back! With slow steps he walked towards her, surely this was some hallucination, some trick of the light, she would never have come back, not with how he had misbehaved for her._

_"I came back for you, Brahms. I told you I wouldn't leave you, and I didn't, did I? I told you I wouldn't." Greta said, her voice shaking._

_Brahms's heart swelled with happiness, she did care about him, she could have left but she had come back. With a soft smile, he closed the gap between them, she stood still, not looking at him. He leaned forward, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply through his nose, gathering her scent that smelled of jasmine and honeysuckle and something he could only assume was something all together feminine. So, it wasn't a dream, it wasn't a trick of the light, it was his Greta, she had come back for him._

_He was about to ask her if she forgave him when she screamed his name, tearing him from his thoughts, he looked to her with wide eyes, his heart racing, was she still cross with him? Was she going to punish him?_

_"It's time for bed now." Greta said sternly._

_Brahms's eyebrows furrowed, standing still in confusion, he couldn't tell if she was still angry with him or not._

_"Brahms, I said it's time for bed, let's go." Greta walked in front of him and pointed down the hall at his old bedroom. "You know the rules."_

_Brahms lowered his head in guilt, indeed he knew the rules, he had always adhered to them and he wasn't about to go against them and find himself further in trouble with Greta. He walked ahead of her into his old bedroom and she followed behind, turning on the light once she had entered his room._

_"Put that down now, Brahms." Greta said firmly._

_Brahms looked down at the attic hook in his grasp, forgetting that it had even been there. He did as he was bid and placed it down on his old toy box, clasping his hands behind his back, his head still lowered in guilt._

_"Are you ready for bed?" Greta asked softly as she gathered up his blankets in her hands and pulled them down for him._

_Brahms nodded softly, feeling sleepiness overcome him from the amount of physical stress he had been under, the feeling of guilt still twisting in the pit of his stomach for making her cross with him. He sat down on the edge of the bed, avoiding her eyes._

_"Under the covers."_

_Brahms laid on his side and tucked his feet up, sliding them under the warm sheet and blanket. As Greta tucked him into bed, he watched her intently, his heart pounding, this was the first time he had ever been put into bed by her, and that meant this would be the first time he would ever get a goodnight kiss from her, something he had fantasized about ever since she had set foot over their threshold._

_"Be a good boy Brahms, and go straight to sleep, okay?" Greta asked as she finished tucking him in._

_Brahms's eyebrows furrowed, had she forgotten the tenth rule? "Kiss." He whispered, his mouth going dry at the thought of her lips pressing to the porcelain of his mask._

_Greta shook her head, "No kiss tonight, Brahms, that's your punishment, I'm sorry." She gave him a smile and turned to leave._

_Brahms reached out his hand, grasping her wrist gently, "Kiss." He reminded her, this time more urgently, she couldn't deny him his goodnight kiss, it was in the rules. He laid back down, looking up at her expectantly, his green eyes still bloodshot from crying earlier._

_Greta pressed her hand to his forearm as she slowly leaned down to him, pressing her lips to the cold porcelain. Brahms felt his heart pound with excitement, he gently grabbed her shoulders like he had seen in all those old movies, and leaned upwards to deepen the kiss, his eyes fluttering closed._

_That's when it happened. The screwdriver cut through him like he had been made of nothing, the pain was instant and it erupted in a hot sting deep inside of him. Brahms hadn't known what had happened, his eyes shot open and he looked at her, pleading, what happened? Had he been punished? He let out a soft moan of pain, looking down at the screwdriver embedded in his belly. Recognition went off like a light bulb in his mind, he had been tricked, Greta hadn't come back for him, she had come back for Malcolm. Rage coursed through him and he growled, pushing her with all of his might, sending her body flying into the wall._

_Brahms lifted himself off of his bed, rushing over to her with a growl, he wouldn't be made a fool of. He grabbed her tiny throat in his hands and squeezed as he lifted her up off the floor, adrenaline pulsing through his muscles, the pain in his stomach now long forgotten. He glared into her eyes as he tightened his grasp around her throat, feeling her heartbeat throb beneath his thumbs, soon it would cease its pumping and he could have her forever, his little doll that he could do whatever he wished with, she would never hurt him again._

_Greta fumbled against his torso until she found the screwdriver and thrust it forward more, moving it about side to side, ripping his muscle to shreds. Pain struck through the adrenaline and his muscles failed him, causing him to collapse at her feet, the side of his face slamming into the floor making his mask break. He gasped and whimpered on the floor, looking up at Greta with heartbroken eyes, the last image he would ever have of her was the shocked and disgusted look she had given him when she had seen the burnt flesh of his peeking out from the break in his mask._

_Brahms had crawled to the bathroom on his hands and knees, tears dripping down his cheeks onto the floor. "Why, Greta..w-why..?" He whispered weakly, his voice cracking as he sobbed uncontrollably, the pain in his belly was nothing compared to the pain he felt in his heart. His first heartbreak._

_He grabbed onto the sink and used it to steady himself as he stood, the action causing him to double over in pain for a moment when he felt the screwdriver digging into him once more. He opened the medicine cabinet and emptied everything into the sink, frantically searching for alcohol, gauze and bandages. He took off his mask and tossed it aside, it landed on the small carpet beside the tub and he looked down at his stomach, the sight of the screwdriver still inside him almost made him vomit. With a deep breath, Brahms wrapped his hand around the screwdriver and slowly pulled it out, gasping in relief when it was no longer inside him. He hurriedly lifted his white shirt and pressed some gauze into his stomach, soaking up the blood that was squirting out._

_Brahms waited a few minutes before slowly releasing the pressure on his wound and began to clean up the blood around it. After his wound was clean, he poured alcohol onto some fresh gauze and pressed it onto his wound, hissing loudly when it began to sting, the pain slamming through him all over again. He removed the alcohol soaked gauze and began to smear some antibacterial cream onto his wound before he placed a fresh dressing on it, then wrapped it with a roll of gauze, tying it tight around him. He cleaned up his mess in the sink and put everything back into its place, he closed the medicine cabinet and looked at himself in the mirror, wincing at the sight of his burned face, it had been months and months since he had seen it and even after twenty years he still wasn't used to it._

_Brahms sighed and pressed his fingers to the burnt area of his face that spanned from the top of his forehead down to his cheekbone on the right side, his nose and lips thankfully unharmed. I'm a monster..no wonder she had left, who could ever love a monster?_

Brahms turned off the gramophone and took the record in his hands carefully, not wanting to accidentally scratch it. He slid it into its respective cover and put it back on the shelf, silently admiring his music collection. Mummy and Daddy had been firm with him about what things he could be exposed to, not wanting his mind corrupted by the music, novels and media of the current times, instead choosing to supply him with classical music from hundreds of years ago, and poetry and novels that were written by people long dead, it wasn't even until he was twenty that they had given in and supplied him with a small tv and dvd player, though they only allowed him the classic movies that were made in black and white. 

He wondered to himself what he had been missing, what were movies and music like today? He couldn't possibly fathom. With a soft sigh, he walked to the kitchen, his stomach letting out a growl. Brahms scoured through the pantry in search of something to eat when he noticed the jar of peanut butter, his eyes narrowed and he took it into his hands and walked over to the trash, tossing it in. It had been _her_ favorite, he thought with disdain. He decided on an apple and plucked a knife from the silverware drawer and began to peel the skin from it, letting the peels drop into the side of the sink where the garbage disposal was. Once every trace of the skin was gone, be took a small bowl from the cupboard and put the apple onto the cutting board, slicing it into pieces before depositing them into the bowl. He missed Greta's cooking, she always made such delicious dishes and always gave him fruits that were the most ripe, each one deliciously sweet on his tongue.

Thankfully the news of his parents' passing had not yet hit the town, they simply thought that they were choosing to stay on vacation longer. But Brahms knew he'd have to come up with something, he was beginning to run out of food, with no nanny he had no one to accept grocery deliveries for him, and to everyone's knowledge there was no Brahms. He had been quite surprised when no one came looking for him after Greta and Malcolm had left, no authorities, no reporters, clearly they had kept what they had known under wraps, and he couldn't lie, he was thankful for that small kindness. 

Brahms took his bowl to the dining room and sat down at the head of the table, silently munching his apple slices when the idea struck him. He grinned at his own cleverness and quickly finished his apple before rushing over to the floor by the front door where the mail sat. He fished through it until he found a copy of Sunday's newspaper, and brought it into his father's old study, which he supposed was his now, and he sat down at the desk. He unfolded the newspaper and searched through its pages until he found what he was looking for, the job adverts.

He took note of the address people were supposed to send their adverts to, and grabbed a fresh sheet of letter paper from his father's left hand drawer in his desk. He took out one of the pens and began to write.

"Seeking a live in nanny, long term position. Must have extensive experience in child care, must be literate, kind, and have a willingness to follow the rules that we have laid out carefully for the care of our son. Must cook all meals, read stories and provide lessons to our son. All prospective applicants are to call before arriving." Brahms wrote down the landline number and smiled down at his writing, it had been a while since he had written anything and he was proud of himself for sounding so grown up. He grabbed a blank envelope from his father's desk and folded the paper and placed it inside before jotting down the address of the newspaper company and the return address for his home. Now one more thing to fix.

Brahms stared at the phone on his father's desk for what seemed like years, he knew he had to do it but it terrified him, the only calls he had ever made in his life had been to Greta, but this was different, this was to _strangers_. After taking a deep breath, he picked it up and brought the receiver to his ear, cracked open the phone book beside him and searched for the number to their local grocery store. With trembling fingers he began to dial the number and tapped his fingers nervously as the phone rang, waiting with baited breath for someone to answer. 

"Hello? Smith's Grocery, how can I help you?" A young man asked.

This was it.

Brahms inhaled deeply through his nose before he spoke, "Hello. This is Mr. Heelshire, my wife and I have come back from holiday and it seems our delivery man has gone. We need someone to continue our deliveries." He said in his normal deep tone of voice, rubbing at his throat as it began to strain, not used to speaking much, especially in a mans voice.

"Ah, forgive us for not sending another delivery man your way, Mr. Heelshire, we were waiting for you to come back from holiday seeing as your nanny had left and no one was home to receive them." The young man gabbed.

Brahms's lip twitched, so, everyone knew Greta and Malcolm had left, he shouldn't have been surprised since it was a small town and it seemed that everyone thrived on gossip in town. "See to it that your delivery man is quite old, we don't need another nanny running off with _the help_. And begin the deliveries next Monday, have your man drop them off in the kitchen and then leave, Mrs. Heelshire and I aren't up to receiving guests and chit chatting as of late."

"No problem, Mister Heelshire, we'll have someone come your way on Monday. Are there any changes to the usual list?"

"No. Good day." Brahms hung up the phone and let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. He placed a stamp on his envelope and walked over to the front door, after looking through the peephole and seeing no one on the premises, he opened the door and slid the envelope into the mailbox. He closed the door behind him and he felt his heart fluttering thinking about the prospect of a new nanny, perhaps this time it would work, maybe this nanny would truly love him. 


	2. Knock Knock

Alice paced around her hotel room, her heart thumping nervously as she pressed her cellphone to her ear, waiting through the ringing for a voice. Finally, the other end of the line picked up.

"Hello? This is Mister Heelshire." A man asked weakly, his voice deep and jagged as if he had been getting over a cold.

"Um, hi, I'm Alice Snow. I found your ad in the paper, and I was wondering, is the position still open?" Alice asked cheerfully, her stomach twisting with anxiety.

The line went quiet for a moment. "Yes, it is. Would you be willing to come today for your interview?"

"Absolutely." Alice sighed in relief.

"The address is 214 Cherry Hill, you will be interviewed by my delivery man as I'm going away on holiday with my wife, he has a great judge of character."

Alice grabbed the pen and paper on her nightstand provided by the hotel, and quickly jotted down the address. "And what time would you like me to come?"

"As soon as possible." Brahms spoke a little too quickly.

"Oh. That's fine, I'll be there soon." Alice hung up the phone and squealed with delight, it was weird that she wasn't meeting with the parents, but she guessed they must've just been excited to finally have some alone time on holiday. Alice had come to this small town to live with her aunt, not too keen on living with her parents any longer, and after her ailing aunt had passed away, she used the money her aunt had left her in her will to live in a cheap run down hotel just until she could find a good job rather than go back to her parents. She needed this, and it was a perfect job, she had always loved working with children.

Alice stuffed the address into her pocket and slung her purse over her shoulder, that was in truth a duffle bag, but she had never been one for a small purse anyhow, rather liking to have something she could carry all her things in if she needed them. She phoned for a cab and gathered her clothes and various items into her suitcase, that way if she had been accepted at the Heelshire's estate she could start right away and wouldn't have to spend another sleepless night in the disgusting hotel room.

She left the room and walked down the stairs to the front desk, "Here's my key, Jen." She said, handing the key to the woman behind the desk.

"Where are you going?"

"I've got an interview to be a live-in nanny, if all goes well I'll start immediately, if not, I'll come back for that key." Alice laughed softly.

Jennifer smiled, "Good luck, hun. I hope it works out for you." 

Alice gave her a wave and left the hotel, walking over to the taxi that was parked beside the curb. The cabbie opened the trunk and took her suitcase from her, "Oh, thank you!" Alice said with a smile and got into the back seat. 

After the cabbie had put her suitcase into the trunk, he got into the driver's side and buckled himself in. "Where to, miss?"

Alice fished the piece of paper from the pocket of her grey jeans and looked at it, "Uhh..214 Cherry Hill, please." She stuffed it back into her pocket and took out her phone, silently texting back one of her friends.

"Miss?"

Alice lifted her head, "Hm?"

"You're not going to the  _Heelshires_ manor..are you?" The cabbie said with narrowed eyed.

"Um, yes, yes I am. Why?"

"That place is haunted. People say the boy's ghost nearly killed his last nanny and the grocery boy.." He said in a whisper, as if he was afraid someone might hear him.

Goosebumps began to rise on Alice's forearms, she had always been easy to scare. "What..?" She whispered, leaning forward.

"Nothing, I..I shouldn't have said nothin'." The cabbie shook his head and turned on the car, speeding down the street.

Alice took a deep breath and shook the idea out of her head, this was going to be great, she just had to remind herself that this was a small town with many small minds. During the ride to the Heelshire's estate, she gazed out the window, watching the beautiful trees pass by as they went further and further away from town.

 

"Miss?" The cabbie said for the second time, breaking Alice from her own thoughts as she stared out the window.

"Hm? Oh! I'm sorry." Alice laughed softly and reached into her purse, pulling out her wallet, she took out the money she owed him and pressed it into his palm. She exited the car and stepped over to the trunk as the cabbie brought her suitcase out for her. "Thank you."

"Just..be safe, alright?" The cabbie warned, his eyebrows furrowed with worry.

Alice swallowed nervously, trying her best to push her worries to the side, surely this was all some joke they played on people new to the town. "Have a nice day." She gave him a nod and walked with her suitcase to the house. She knocked on the door twice and stood there with a smile as she waited.

Nothing.

She raised an eyebrow and knocked twice more, harder this time.

The door finally opened and kindly old man appeared in the doorway, "Ah! You must be Miss Alice. I'm Brian, the delivery man." He held out his hand.

Alice smiled and shook his hand, "Hi Brian, it's nice to meet you." She stepped forward and set her suitcase and purse down. "So, I guess I won't be meeting Mister Heelshire and his wife?"

"No, I'm afraid they already left. He and the missus have gone on holiday, quite suddenly." Brian showed her to her bedroom on the second floor. 

"So, what are Mister and Missus Heelshire like, if you don't mind me asking?" Alice chewed her lower lip.

"I'm not sure exactly, I've only ever spoken to Mister Heelshire on the phone."

"Wait, so..you've never actually met them?" She raised an eyebrow.

"No, can't say's I have. He's a nice enough bloke, he and the missus just aren't very social I suppose." He scratched at the white hairs on his head. "So I'm supposed to interview ya, ya seem nice enough, god knows this place could use a woman's touch with the missus bein' so sick."

"Sick?"

"Yeah, Mister Heelshire says she doesn't really leave her room much anymore, I guess he's taking her on holiday hoping the fresh air will help." Brian shrugged. "They've got this list they want ya to follow." He handed her a list that was typed with a typewriter.

Alice read it silently and raised an eyebrow, "These are a little uh.."

"Bit weird, but I'm not one to judge." Brian shrugged once more. "How long ya looked after kids?"

"I babysat for the same family for eight years. They had twin sons." Alice smiled.

"What did ya do for 'em?"

"Took them on outings like to the park or the museum, we'd make art together, I gave them baths, I made dinner and did some cleaning when they took their naps, and I'd read to them every day. It really broke my heart when they got to the age where they didn't need me anymore." She felt a pang in her heart.

"I'm sorry about that." Brian said with a sympathetic smile, then he blushed and looked down at the floor, "And uh..how old are ya?"

"I'm twenty five." She smiled.

"Well, I think you'll do great here, Miss Alice. Mister Heelshire said if you can agree to those rules you've got the job, and if you're up for a bit of cleanin' and cookin'."

Alice nodded, "I don't think that will be a problem." She smiled.

"Well, I guess all that's left is for you to meet the little bugger." Brian chuckled, nervously scratching the back of his neck.

Alice smiled, "I'd love to." She walked with Brian out of her room to the door just across from hers.

Brian knocked on the door, "Brahms, yer new nanny is here." He called and waited a moment, a soft thumping came from the room and he opened the door a few seconds after. 

Alice's smile fell, "Where is he?" She asked and her eyes scanned the room.

Brian winced, "That'll be the young Master, Miss Alice." He stepped over to the doll sitting in the bed and shook his hand, "Nice to see ya again, Sir. This'll be your new nanny, Alice. Don't give her any funny business, yeah?"

Alice found herself laughing, but the grave look on Brian's face told her this was no joke. "I don't..I..I don't understand." She whispered, watching the doll with wide eyes.

Brian sighed softly, "Ya see, the Heelshires, they lost their son Brahms in a fire when he was eight years old, I guess..this helps 'em cope." He smiled sadly, "He's a little playful but he shouldn't give ya too much trouble."

Alice swallowed and nodded, "I see." She said quietly, suddenly racked with sadness for the plight of the poor Heelshires, she couldn't imagine losing a son, no wonder they needed a holiday. She stepped forward and took his hand, "Nice to meet you Brahms, I'm Alice."

"You'll be havin' to dress him and put him to bed, read to him, the usual stuff. I come by every Monday with the groceries and your paycheck, if there's anything else you need, just give me a ring." Brian smiled. "Still think you can handle this?"

Alice nodded sadly, "Yeah, I think I've got it covered, thank you Brian."

"I'll leave you two be, then. Good evening." Brian gave them a nod before he left the room and made his way down the hall and stairs. 

Alice watched Brian leave the room and turned her attention back to the doll, she sighed and fixed his disheveled hair, noticing that his face had obviously been broken and repaired, she couldn't imagine feeling such a close connection to something only to have it broken in such a way, it must have torn them apart to see their son in a million pieces on the floor. 

"Well, I guess I oughta get unpacked.." Alice muttered to herself, the dolls gaze pierced through her. She looked at the rules again. Rule number two, "Never Leave Brahms Alone". "I hope that doesn't mean you have to join me in the shower." She joked softly to ease the tension she felt. She took him into her arms gently so as to not drop him and carried him awkwardly to her bedroom across the hall, the sound of Brian's car driving off echoed through the empty house. She placed Brahms on a chair near the dresser and walked over to her suitcase. She unpacked her things and put them all in their proper place, she grabbed her toiletries and stepped into the adjoining bathroom to put them all away. Alice stood in front of her sink and looked at herself in the mirror, she grabbed the bright orange hair tie from her wrist and tied up her long blond curls into a bun. She tucked a stray curl behind her ear and left the bathroom, screaming in surprise when she found the doll sitting on her bed.

Alice looked around the room, her heart pounding, "I put you in that chair.." She whispered, breathing heavily. She slowly walked over to the doll and touched his face, "Maybe you really are a ghost.." Goosebumps rose on her arms and she quickly rubbed her arms. Perhaps Brian had done it to scare her, but why on earth would he have done that? And besides, she had heard his car drive off. If Brahms was indeed a ghost, she was going to make sure she didn't piss him off, she had seen way too many ghost movies for that. "You can't scare people, Brahms, it isn't nice." She said in a firm tone, though her voice wavered out of the fear she was still experiencing.

She spent the next few hours tidying up some of the rooms of the house, finding them quite filthy as far as dust went. She kept Brahms in the rooms with her while she worked, chit chatting with him every so often, and each time she mentally gave herself a slap for talking to a doll. But he couldn't be just a doll..dolls don't move themselves, she reminded herself. She checked her phone once more and found that the hours had gotten away from her, it was now time to make dinner.

Alice put Brahms on her hip and left the room she had been cleaning and walked down the stairs toward the back of the house where the kitchen was. She placed him on the counter and opened the fridge, examining its contents and then the pantry before she decided on what she'd make. She took a box of pasta from the pantry and poured it into a large pot of salted water, she placed it on the stove to boil as she busied herself cutting up an onion, carrot and bell peppers to go into the sauce. After grabbing a large can of crushed tomatoes she poured them into a smaller pot with her chopped vegetables and sprinkled various seasonings into it before putting it onto the stove to cook.

She sat down on the counter and looked over at Brahms, she had had a million questions but she hadn't known where to start, she made a mental note to ask Brian more on monday. The burning question in her mind was, why had there been a fire?

Brahms watched her from the walls, his heart pounded the entire time. She hadn't been like Greta, she had kept up with the rules so far, but time would tell if she would follow that oh so special tenth rule or not, and if she would still be on her best behavior after a day or two. The aroma coming from the kitchen caused his stomach to growl, Greta had only made pasta for him a few times, and it had never smelled half as good as this. He watched her with hungry eyes, admiring the way her black jumper hugged her skin. 

While she finished preparing dinner, he made his way upstairs to her bedroom. Brahms had already changed the sheets and pillowcases to new ones he had found in the linen closet before Alice came, though they smelled a bit like mothballs. Had he known how to work the dishwasher he would have, but it seemed all the months he had watched Greta do the laundry taught him nothing. Part of him felt tempted to keep the sheets, to place them on his bed and curl up to the scent of Greta, but that thought quickly faded when he remembered just what she had done to him, so he had thrown them into a bin instead. 

He closed the door gently and locked it behind him, walking back over to her dresser. He opened the top drawer and rifled through her things, he took out one of her jumpers and pressed it to his nose, inhaling the scent of her deeply. She smelt of peaches, it nearly drove him mad, her beauty and her scent caused an ache in the pit of his stomach and he forced the garment away from him before he stole it, surely she would notice it missing on her very first day there, but he knew it was only a matter of time before the jumper was dressed on someone other than Alice, on a little friend he kept hidden in the walls. 

As he looked through her stuff, he came to her underwear, he felt his face blush and he moved them aside, he wasn't _that_ bad of a boy. He pulled out a garment that was made entirely of lace, he examined it with confusion, it was small and thin, what could it possibly cover? Then he remembered. One night he had been watching Greta dress, amazed at the beautiful curves of her body, when he noticed her take out a small lacy bit of cloth from her dresser and slip it on over her legs. So that's what this was. The thought of Alice wearing such a thing made him ache, he knew how Greta had looked when she wore it, and he couldn't help but wonder how Alice would look with it on. 

Brahms quietly snuck back downstairs and went back to his place near the kitchen to watch Alice. As Alice bounced around the kitchen listening to music, Brahms watched her with longing, remembering the scent of her jumper and thought about how soft her skin must feel beneath her clothes. He remembered how she had chided him for scaring her, he loved hearing her scream, it had been so cute, and all he could think about was how he could get her to scream again.


	3. Message In A Bottle

Alice sat Brahms at the head of the table and placed a plate full of pasta in front of him before taking her seat to his right. She looked down at her plate, silently moving her pasta around her plate, she had never been good when left by herself, and here she was looking after a doll. She glanced over at Brahms, questions burning in her mind, "Bon appetit." She said with a strained smile before bringing a bite of her pasta to her lips. She ate silently, avoiding the gaze of the porcelain doll. 

Brahms watched from the walls, admiring the way she had set him at the head of the table, he was the master of the manor after all. He noticed the withdrawn look on her face and he felt his stomach twist, she looked incredibly lonely. _But I'm here with you. I'll always be here_ , he thought to himself, wanting nothing more than to speak the words to her to wash away the loneliness she no doubt felt. 

Alice gathered their plates and stepped into the kitchen, quickly washing her plate. She took Brahms's still full plate and emptied its contents into a tupperware container before placing it inside the freezer. She stood still for a moment, wondering why, if Brahms was a ghost, why save his food? _I guess they just don't want to be wasteful, guess I'll just eat it for leftovers tomorrow_ , she thought to herself before she shut the freezer door and walked back into the dining room. She paused in her movements, her eyes wide, Brahms was now sitting on the edge of the table, something crinkled up on his lap.

Alice swallowed the fear bubbling up in her throat and stepped over to him, she gently picked up the piece of paper and smoothed it out. Her eyes widened and she felt panic twist her insides, there at the center of the paper was four words scribbled in a childish handwriting: _im here with you_. She looked around the room, "Hello?" She asked quietly, frantically searching for any trace of the person who was no doubt playing a trick on her. This couldn't be possible, ghosts didn't exist..did they? With a small gulp, she turned her attention back to the doll, pushing her fear aside, "Thank you Brahms, that..that means a lot." She spoke softly and placed the note into her jeans pocket before taking him into her arms. "Let's see.." She took out her phone from her pocket and checked the time, time had gotten away from her as she had made dinner, it was already eight o'clock. 

"I guess it's time for bed then, Brahms." Alice smoothed out the locks of hair that had fallen into his face and neatly put them back in their usual place before leaving the dining room to walk to the stairs. She walked up the stairs slowly, lost in her thoughts until a soft thumping noise pulled her from her thoughts. She stood still and listened, it sounded as if something was right next to her following her movements, a second after she had paused the sound within the walls had stopped. Curious, she knocked on the wall, "Hey, if there are any rats hiding out in there, I suggest you be on your way," She warned them, "I don't want you getting into the traps, so just find another place to go." She continued on up the stairs and the sound followed her after a moment, she felt a pang of sadness, those poor rats. Alice had always loved them, she had had one as a pet for nearly five years and it had been one of her favorite pets, he had always crawled up his cage in excitement when she walked into the room, and he always cuddled into her lap before falling asleep; it had broken her heart when he had passed away, she couldn't understand how people could be afraid of them or think of them as vermin.

Alice ascended the stairs and walked into Brahms's room, she set him on the edge of his bed as she searched through his dressers for his night clothes. She grabbed a night shirt and matching pants and set to work changing him into his pajamas. "Alright, I think we're done for the day, Brahms, sleep tight, okay?" She pulled down the covers and placed him into bed, gently tucking him in. She walked over to the door when the thought struck her, she had nearly forgotten one of the rules. Looking back at Brahms she felt her stomach twist, it was certainly weird enough to care for a doll, but giving it a good night kiss? That was very strange. With a deep breath she walked over to him, chiding herself for being so easily creeped out, and she pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Goodnight." She forced a smile and stepped over to the light switch and turned it off before leaving the room. 

Alice closed the door behind her and walked into her bedroom, feeling exhaustion overtake her. She grabbed her phone and dialed the number of the hotel, "Hey, Jen? It's Alice. I got the job!" She said cheerfully. "Yeah. Mhm. Yeah I won't be needing my key anymore, you can go ahead and close my account there. Mhm. Okay. Thanks, Jen. I'll see you." She hung up her phone and placed it on the nightstand, plugging the charger into her phone. She stretched her muscles for a moment and stepped into the adjoining bathroom. 

Alice stripped her clothes and let them fall to the floor, she turned on the shower, letting the water cool down until it was luke warm, and stepped in. When the cool water touched her skin she sighed in contentment, letting the water cool her warm skin, washing away the sweat and oils of the day. After she had washed every inch of her body and rinsed off, she exited the shower and grabbed a towel to wrap around herself, her long blond hair dripping wet onto the bathroom rug. She set about brushing her teeth and opened the medicine cabinet to grab her nightly medication. She uncapped both bottles and took out one pill from each and dry swallowed them, she grimaced a moment and cupped her hand under the rushing water and gulped it down. 

Brahms watched from the wall of her bathroom, studying her nightly ritual, what was she taking? Was she sick? Worry began to build up inside of him, if she was sick, he needed to know, he would care for her if she was indeed ill. He quietly moved through the walls, getting a better look at her as she stepped into her bedroom, her towel wrapped tightly around her body. Excitement coursed through him as his eyes examined her body, taking note of her pale curves and long blond hair in its wet state. He wondered to himself what her hair would feel like between his fingers, what would it smell like? He scolded himself for not looking through her bathroom, had he, he would have known just what medicines she was taking and what shampoo she was using. He'd have to remind himself to search in the morning, she would just have to forgive him for getting out of bed before it was time to wake up.

Brahms bit his lower lip with excitement when Alice grabbed her towel to let it drop, he took a step forward, a board beneath his feet giving a loud creak. He stepped back quickly, his heart fluttering, surely she had heard that. 

Alice's hands stilled and she looked at the wall, her heart racing, "H-Hello..?" She whispered, looking around her as fear began to rise inside of her, that couldn't have been a rat, rats didn't make such loud sounds. An idea came like a light bulb flash, "Brahms..?" 

Brahms felt excitement rush through his veins as he watched her, loving the way his name came off of her tongue. He watched the rise and fall of her chest as she gulped down breaths as if she had just escaped drowning, he loved the look in her blue eyes, they were impossibly blown out in fear and he couldn't help but notice that she looked like a little scared mouse, and he loved it. He smirked and eased his foot on the board in front of him once more, earning a loud but slow creak.

Alice jumped and took a step back, "Brahms, if that's you.." She began, taking a deep breath and tightening her grip on her towel so it wouldn't slip, "If you're here, knock twice." She readied herself.

Brahms cocked his head, Greta had done just the same with him, tempting him, asking him to show himself in some way, and he certainly couldn't say no to such a beauty. He smirked and raised his hand to the wall, giving two sharp knocks, watching her intently for her reaction.

Alice let out a small shriek and jumped onto her bed, hugging her knees to her chest. "Oh my god..y-you are a ghost!" She said loudly, her chest rising and falling quickly. She laughed to herself, "My god..t-this is amazing!" She grinned with excitement, she had always wondered what it would've been like to actually have proof of the paranormal, and here she was, getting messages from the beyond. But then a harrowing thought pushed itself into her conscious mind, she swallowed nervously, "Will you hurt me..? Once for yes, twice for no." 

Brahms thought for a moment, he wouldn't hurt her. Unless..

Brahms knocked twice after a moment and watched the look of relief overcome Alice, her body relaxed and she sighed. He chuckled softly and looked at the swell of her breasts, beautifully accentuated through the towel and bit his lip, waiting for her to remove it. When Alice stood back up and let her towel drop, he let out a soft groan, pleasure beginning to swell in the pit of his stomach, his trousers becoming tight. He gripped the wall in front of him with one hand, the other traveling down his stomach to rest against the very obvious evidence of his excitement, and began to grip himself through the fabric, a soft whimper leaving his lips. Alice, beautiful Alice. When she turned her body toward the wall he hid behind, his eyes widened when they fell upon the area between her thighs; Greta had always trimmed the hair there, but Alice's was completely bare, leaving nothing to his imagination. 

Brahms forced himself to look away, the pleasure becoming too much to bare, if he kept looking he would be forced to do something only a bad boy would do. He forced his hand away from his trousers and fought with himself over whether he should stay or not, he pushed himself to walk away and go to his bedroom; Alice had said it was time for bed, and he would obey. Brahms walked to his bedroom and sighed, looking around the dust covered hovel he called a home, it certainly needed the "woman's touch" like Brian said, but he couldn't have Alice come here, no matter how badly he wanted to have her beside him in his small bed. 

Brahms crawled into his bed, casting his glance to the makeshift doll that lay on the ground beside his bed, missing the red dress it once had and the sweet perfume he had sprayed onto it. Greta. It was still a sore subject, some part of him still loved her, but he couldn't forgive her for hurting him in such a way, when you truly love someone you never hurt them, unless..

He grabbed the doll from the floor and ripped the brunette wig from its head and cast it aside. He tucked it into bed with him and snuggled close to it, he pressed his lips to its neck through the porcelain of his mask and whispered to its ear, "Alice..."

Alice dressed in an oversized t-shirt and climbed under the covers, she took one of the three books from her nightstand and cuddled up with it, reading until she eventually passed out with it in her lap.

 

-next morning-

 

Brahms stood beside Alice's bed, watching the bright rays of sun split through the blinds and cast themselves on Alice, illuminating her hair, making it seem as if every strand were made from twenty four karat gold. He gently took a lock of her hair between his fingers and leaned down, inhaling the scent of her deeply, his mind exploding with need for this submissive creature. His little mouse. He chuckled softly and left to go to her bathroom, he turned on the light and opened the medicine cabinet, he took the two pill bottles out and examined them. One was a common sleep aid, and the other..it seemed familiar but he couldn't quite place it. He placed the unknown pill bottle on the edge of the sink and put the sleep aid back in its place before grabbing the piece of paper and pencil from his pocket. He scribbled a note onto the paper and placed it on the edge of the sink under the pill bottle that held it as a paper weight.

Brahms turned off the light and left the bathroom, casting one last glance to the slumbering Alice, he smiled softly and left the room, walking down the hall and down the stairs to the kitchen. He looked up at the small kitchen clock, it was six a.m., she would be asleep for some time yet. He opened the freezer and withdrew his pasta and put it into the microwave, after two minutes he took it out and inhaled the scent of the delectable pasta sauce that Alice had made and licked his lips beneath his mask. He quietly took it to his room in the walls and sat down at the small table and grabbed a fork that lay on the table. He took off his mask and lay it beside his bowl of food and quickly scarfed down the pasta, moaning softly when the taste enveloped his tongue, tingling his taste buds. Even Greta couldn't make such a delicious pasta dish, she had always elected to use the premade sauces, never homemade. Perhaps his new nanny would be the one, she definitely cooked better, and even looked after the house, Greta certainly hadn't done that. I can't scare her away, she has to know that I will love and care for her. 

Alice awoke slowly, the sun shining in her eyes, she winced and groaned, rubbing her tired eyes. "Ugh.." She groaned once more as she sat up and got out of bed. Pressing her hands to her back she leaned back and cracked it, letting out a sigh of relief. She stepped over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of sweat pants and pulled them on, not bothering with panties or a bra seeing as how it would only be her and Brahms here, who did she have to dress for? Alice put her phone in her pocket and tied up her hair into a messy bun before walking over to her bathroom. 

When she saw the note under her pill bottle her eyes widened, how could Brahms come and go so quickly, without her noticing? Was he completely invisible? Or was he like the famed Casper and could be seen if he wanted to? She wondered to herself what the mechanics were, as she had never had a real experience with a ghost before. Maybe he was shy and didn't like being seen? Alice took the note into her hands, "are you sick??" it read. She laughed softly at the innocence of the question, it was almost..adorable. 

Alice thought for a moment, wondering how she could possibly explain something so complex to someone at the tender age of eight. "Brahms? Are you here?" She asked softly, stepping back into her bedroom. She heard a soft knock, signaling "yes". "I got your note. And um..no, I'm not sick. You see, sometimes people have problems in their brains, and they take medicines to make it better. I'm okay." She smiled, it was almost heartwarming that he was worried about her. She gathered the clothes on her bathroom floor and took out Brahms's first note from her jeans pocket and tossed her clothes into the hamper. She put the notes between the pages of the book she had read last night, using them as bookmarks before she made her way to Brahms's room.

"Brahms? It's time to get up." Alice knocked on the door and stepped in, smiling when she found he was sitting up with his clothes on already. "Oh wow.." She whispered, "You got yourself dressed, I'm proud of you." She chuckled and picked him up, settling him on her hip, feeling an almost paternal instinct take over, just as it had done when she watched the twins in her younger years. "Come on, let's get some breakfast."

Alice walked with him down the stairs and stepped into the kitchen, she sat him on the counter and busied herself looking through the fridge. She grabbed some eggs and milk and set them on the counter, walking over to the pantry to get some all purpose flour. She quickly whisked the ingredients together to make pancake batter and grabbed one of the pans hanging above the kitchen sink and set it onto the burner. She poured some of the batter onto the pan and while it slowly began to bubble she looked over at Brahms.

"You know, I used to be a nanny for two little boys just like you. They were pretty great. I watched over them for eight years. They were younger than you when I first became their nanny. Their favorite things were the field trips I'd take them on, we'd go to the park, museums, and the lake to name a few. My favorite trip was when we went to the living museum, we got to see all sorts of fish and little mammals." Alice smiled at the memory, "We even got to feed some of them, I'll have to show you the pictures I took, they're still on my phone." She flipped the pancakes and placed some onto the plate, "Did your Mummy and Daddy ever take you outings like that?" 

Brahms watched her silently, a pang in his heart, his parents had never taken him anywhere as a child, and he had even been homeschooled after a while because he had been a "problem child". He raised his hand to the wall and slowly knocked twice, sighing softly. 

Alice sighed, "I'm sorry about that Brahms, that's not fair. Your Mummy and Daddy should've taken you on outings. If I could leave, I'd take you on plenty, you'd get sick of going outside." She laughed softly and booped him on the nose. She picked up the plates and took them to the dining room, setting them at the same places she had yesterday. She stepped back into the kitchen and put Brahms on her hip, picked up a bottle of syrup and took him into the dining room, and put him at the head of the table. Alice sat down at her place and drizzled some syrup on her pancakes before tucking in. 

Brahms licked his lips as he eyed his plate, it would be such a treat to taste Alice's food when it was warm and fresh rather than heated up in a microwave which never sufficiently heated it, there would always be bits that were still cold while others were piping hot. When he had been on his own, he had made simple meals, most barely passing for food. _Maybe one day I can show myself to her. Would she accept me or would she run away like Greta did?_ He raised his shirt and rubbed the raised scar just above his belly button, rage bubbling up once more, if Alice betrayed him he wouldn't be as lenient as he had been with Greta. That was a promise. _Be good to me and I'll be good to you._


	4. Your Hand In Mine

Alice cleared her plate and put the uneaten pancakes into the freezer inside a tupperware container. She paused for a moment and looked around in the freezer, where was the container that she had put the pasta in? She wondered to herself, her heart beat speeding up as she looked over at Brahms, who was no longer sitting at the head of the table but at the last seat on the left side, his face turned towards her. She took a breath and steeled herself, where on earth had the food gone? Ghosts didn't eat food..did they? 

She walked over to Brahms and crouched down to his eye level, looking into his glass green eyes, searching them for any bit of consciousness, but they were empty and hollow. "Brahms..I'm so confused. Why don't you move when I can see you? Are you shy?" She asked gently, listening for a knock or any sign that he had answered. There came a knock against the wall and the nearby light began to blink. She watched with amazement, her eyes wide, she turned her attention back to the doll and smoothed out his hair, "Will I ever get to see you?" 

No knock came for some time, then an almost silent knock, signalling yes. 

"Sometime soon?" She asked, hopeful, but no answer came. Alice sighed and sat down beside Brahms, "It's okay, Brahms, you don't have to. You can show yourself when you're ready, okay?" 

One knock. Alice smiled and lifted Brahms into her arms, "Ready for some music?" 

Brahms knocked against the wall once, smiling as he watched her, had she meant that? Did she really want to see him so badly? He scolded himself for a moment, she expected some ghostly spirit, not a fully grown man hiding behind the guise of a porcelain doll. _She'll run from me, just like Mummy and Daddy, just like Greta_ , he thought to himself and heaved a heavy sigh, it was exhausting living this half life, all he wanted was to live his life without hiding behind a mask, never to feel the touch of anyone.

Alice walked with Brahms to the music room and sat him down in one of the chairs, she stepped over to the shelf of music and looked through it all, wrinkling her nose. "Is there anything here from this century?" She teased. Her eyes widened, "I've got an idea." She smiled and took out her phone, she pulled up youtube and searched through her playlists, selecting the song "Ladies And Gentlemen, We're Floating In Space" by Spiritualized. Alice set her phone on the floor and sat down beside it with her back to the gramophone, her feet absentmindedly tapping along with the beat of the song. "I'm gonna have to school you in some good music, my friend." She chuckled.

Brahms pressed his face to the wall, the cool porcelain forced hard against his skin, he couldn't quite get close enough. He watched her in amazement, this new song's notes seemed to dance around his vision and tangle themselves around his heart, tugging at it impossibly. He had never heard something so beautiful in his life, it was so somber and somehow the tune seemed to put his abstract emotions into something tangible. As the song went on, voices overlapping with dreadfully beautiful lyrics, he felt his eyes sting with tears and he fought back a sob, the words hit home in a terrible way, forcing those once hidden thoughts, hopes, and feelings into the stark white light. He held his hand against the wall, his eyes fluttering closed as he imagined her hand in his, how such a small thing could mean so much, something he had been denied for twenty years. 

Alice stood and slowly moved to the wall, her eyebrows furrowing as the song played, it was her favorite song and every time she listened to it, it made her heart ache. She had never had a great romance before, all of her very limited romances had been short lived and incredibly one sided, always seeming to find the wrong sorts of people. She sighed and wiped a stray tear away, trying hard to fight the strong feeling of loneliness that she felt, and she couldn't help but feel as if she were being watched. It wasn't like the usual feeling one would get in a house they believed haunted, no, it felt real, as if a pair of human eyes were trained on her, and somehow it felt comforting to know she wasn't alone. She lifted her hand and pressed it to the wall, running her fingers against the cracking wallpaper, wishing for any sort of human presence to rest just beneath it.

Brahms watched with wide eyes at Alice's gesture, did she know he was there? He gulped softly and mimicked her movements, watching them in the mirror behind her. His heart ached as he watched her, no, he couldn't keep watching, he had to come forward if he ever hoped to truly make her his, he couldn't keep living a life as a hollow shell. "Alice.." He whispered, pressing his forehead to the wall, sobbing softly, hot tears rolling down his cheeks, hiding themselves in his beard. 

As the song came to its end, Alice was ripped from her thoughts, she blushed in embarrassment and withdrew her hand hesitantly. She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and cleared her throat before walking over to the shelves of records. She chose a random one and placed it onto the turntable, lowering the needle to the first song. Alice jumped a little in surprise when the song began to play loudly, she put her phone into her pocket and walked over to the large bookshelves. Her fingers ran across the spines as she walked along the shelves, the scent of old books calming her senses, she had always loved books. Alice searched through the books until she found one that she couldn't help but give a smile to, Romeo and Juliet, a cliche classic, but one of her favorites nonetheless. She brought the book over to an armchair and sat down, tucking her feet up under her as she cracked it open, silently reading it as the classical music droned on in the background. 

Brahms sighed when Alice changed the music, he had listened to every single one of the records his Mummy and Daddy had in their collection far too many times to count, it was all the same drivel, and now that he had finally had the sweet touch of new music, it was ripped away. _No, Alice, play_ your _music. Please. Let me know your thoughts, your feelings..let me know everything about you, I was so close to you before you turned away_ , he thought to himself and nervously chewed his lower lip, he knew it wouldn't be long now, he had to know her. He cast one last glance towards Alice before he left to his bedroom, he crawled into bed and took off his mask, wiping at his teary eyes before he pulled his cloth doll towards his chest. The song Alice had played echoed through his every thought as he pulled the doll closer to him, burying his face into its neck, letting out the smallest of choked sobs.  

Alice lost herself in the book, not even noticing that the gramophone's arm was skipping against the end of the record. She lifted her head and laughed softly to herself, "Sorry, I guess I lost track of time." She said to Brahms and closed the book, tucking it under her arm before walking over to him. "I'm going to clean the traps, okay? I'll be right back." She walked up the stairs to her bedroom and placed the copy of Romeo and Juliet on her nightstand along with her phone and walked over to the bathroom where she had kicked off her shoes and slid into them. 

She went back downstairs and peeked in the music room to check on Brahms. She walked into the kitchen and knelt down under the sink in search of garbage bags, she took one into her hands and grabbed a pair of rubber gloves. Alice slid them on and walked outside, the smell of rotting flesh nearly caused her to double over and vomit, she forced herself to breathe through her mouth and began emptying the traps, letting the rat bodies fall into the bag. She reset the traps and tossed the bag into a bin, she reminded herself to burn them later and went back into the house, tossing her gloves into the sink with a shudder. 

Alice leaned against the sink, looking out the window of the kitchen with a smile at the beautiful lake that wasn't too far from the house. She watched the ducks and geese swim about and she couldn't deny the pull she felt, to just be outside and enjoy the sweet air. She walked back outside through the back, following the little foot path that lead to the large lake. Alice kicked off her shoes and socks and sat down, wiggling her toes into the grass and cool soil, letting out a soft sigh.

Brahms searched for her all throughout the house, but found no trace of her. He began to panic, breathing in through his nose quickly, near hyperventilating. She left me. She isn't coming back. He left through the hole in the wall in the billiard room and ran through the rooms, tears stinging his eyes, "Alice?" He pleaded, his hands clenched into fists. But then he heard it. Her laugh. He ran to the kitchen window and he felt relief wash over him, he gripped the edges of the sink as he watched her, anger began to tug at his insides and he growled.

Brahms ran out of the kitchen to the stairs and ran up them three steps at a time, his long legs making easy work of the stairs. He went into her bedroom and growled, gripping her dresser and tugging at it until it fell with a loud bang against the wooden floor. He took her sheets and ripped them from her bed, leaving them disheveled. She had broken an important rule. He couldn't chance her getting further than his grasp could reach, she was testing him, she wanted to see just how far she could pull from him without any consequences. He was too lenient with Greta, he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. He needed to end that right now. He needed to clip her wings. 

Brahms grabbed her phone and hurled it to the floor, the screen rupturing under the force. He picked it up and pushed at the buttons, but nothing happened, not even a light flashed, he smirked and stepped into the bathroom. He grabbed her pill bottle and opened it, when he saw the color of the pills, realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He knew what these were. His parents had tried to make him take them when he was younger, only a few months before his eight birthday. He growled in frustration and poured them down the sink, rinsing the lilac and cream colored pills down. _If I don't need them, then neither does she. She'll think twice before she breaks one of my rules again._


	5. Struggle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Injury, violence.

Alice came back into the house and stretched her back with a soft sigh, her body stilling when she heard a loud crash coming from her room and the sound of running water. An intruder. She looked around her for a weapon and grabbed one of the large knives from the knife block and walked up the stairs slowly, keeping her grip tight on the knife. Her heart raced and she felt adrenaline overtake her senses, her mind spinning a little as her blood pressure began to climb with each step she took up the stairs. Finally she made her way to the hallway where her and Brahms's bedrooms were, she took a deep breath and peeked into her room, her eyes widening at the huge mess. Her eyes searched frantically for any movement, any sign of the person who was responsible for the mess.

"You'd better come out before I call the police!" She said, biting her lower lip as anxiety began to twist at her insides. She stepped into her room, the knife she held with conviction, ready for a fight. She had only been in a few fights in her life but all were in her adolescent years and each one she had gotten her ass handed to her, she couldn't deny the fear she felt, but she couldn't let her fear control her, she had to protect herself. 

Alice kneeled down in front of the bed and looked under it, no one was hiding from her. With a deep breath, she stood up and cast her eyes toward the closed bathroom door. _They must be in there, then. I've got them cornered_ , she thought. She took a moment to steel herself and stepped over to the bathroom door, she slowly turned the doorknob and threw it open, the knife held high, but it was completely empty, the shower curtain was open and the tub was empty. _They must have gone to another room before I got here_ , she thought to herself and sighed, lowering her knife. 

She began to leave the bathroom when something caught her eye, she turned her attention to the sink and gasped, finding her pill bottle empty on top of a slip of paper. She moved the bottle aside and picked up the paper, the words shook her to her core and she dropped the knife with a soft whimper in fear. The paper in her hands was the list she had first been given when she arrived, with rule two being underlined in red marker, and at the bottom of the paper was hasty writing: "Follow the rules, pretty Alice. Don't make me ask you again."

Alice dropped the paper and took her pill bottle into her hands, frantically searching the room for any trace of them. She looked at the sink and touched the area near the drain, it was still wet. He had dumped all of her pills down the drain. Fear began to prickle at her skin and she rushed over to the night stand where she had placed her phone, but it wasn't there. She looked around and noticed bits of glass on the floor near the fallen dresser, she crouched down and picked up her now ruined phone, tears filling her eyes. After a few minutes of attempting to turn it on, she let it drop to the floor and stood up, her mind swimming as she was pushed into the flight side of fight or flight mode. 

"Fuck this. I'm getting the hell outta here." Alice grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder, she walked over to the landline phone and picked up the receiver, bringing it to her left ear. She pressed the numbered buttons for her best friend Brooke's number, but half way through the dial tone stopped. "What..?" She pushed the switch a few times, hoping to get a dial tone, but it stayed silent, Brahms had killed the phones. She hung up the phone and sat down on the edge of the bed, her heart racing in panic. She was trapped. She now had no way to get in touch with anyone, and no means to leave, she knew that the nearest neighbor was twenty miles away, town being even further away, it would take her forever to get to someone.

Alice jumped in surprise when the phone began to ring, she quickly picked it up and brought it to her ear, "Hello?! Please, I need help!" She began, panting as she tried to catch her breath. Her eyes widened when the only thing she heard on the other end was heavy breathing, "Hello?" She whispered, pleading.

"You aren't going anywhere, pretty Alice." Came a young child's voice.

Alice nearly dropped the phone, "Brahms? It can't be.."

"Don't leave me." 

"You did this..didn't you?" Alice felt anger rise up inside her. 

"All you had to do was follow the rules." His voice sounded as if he were pouting. "Put your purse down, you aren't going anywhere."

Alice slammed the phone down and hurried to her door and ran down the hall and down the stairs. Before she could get to the front door, something tall and dark stood in front of the front door. She paused and took a step backwards, "Who are you?" She asked, her voice trembling.

Brahms stepped forward slowly into the light.

Alice's eyes widened when she saw the bare footed man emerge, his clothes moth eaten and filthy, a cracked porcelain mask covering his face. "W-Who..who are you?" She asked, forcing her voice to quit wavering.

"Pretty Alice, please don't leave." Brahms held up his hands defensively as he stepped closer, he would be polite, perhaps she could see reason. "I'm sorry for misbehaving, but you broke the rules."

Recognition hit. "Brahms..y-you're alive, you've been watching me?!" Alice took two more steps back, holding her hands up, "Don't come near me!" She screamed, tears beginning to sting her eyes.

"I just want to care for you, Alice. _Let me_." Brahms stepped forward quickly, his long legs giving him much longer strides than Alice's. He closed the gap between them and grabbed her shoulders before she could turn and run. "Your place is here with me, Alice. Aren't you happy here?" His eyebrows furrowed.

Alice's body became stiff, her heart pounding in her ears, "Please. Let me go." She whispered weakly, not daring to look him in the eye.

"I can't. Don't you see that I can't?" Brahms hissed through his teeth, his chest rising and falling quickly. His right hand moved down her shoulder and rested on her hip, working circles into the skin just above her jeans, putting forth painful pressure as a warning. " _I can't let you go_." He whispered, letting his normal voice take over. He pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her, one hand cupping the back of her head as he rested his chin on top of her head.

Alice was forced against his chest, her face pressed against his throat, she could feel his adam's apple bob as he swallowed nervously. She took a deep breath and clenched her fists, she knew what she had to do. She lifted her right leg and brought down her foot onto his left instep, thankful that he had been barefoot. 

While Brahms growled in pain and doubled over, Alice grabbed her purse and swung it forward, hitting him square in the face. She dropped it by her feet and took off to the front door, her hand outstretched for the doorknob. She quickly unlocked the door and flung it open, running down the front steps. "Help! Please!" She screamed, though the rational part of her brain knew that there wasn't anyone remotely near them that could hear her, but it was definitely worth a try. She could hear his savage breath panting as he followed close after her as she ran down the gravel road, she knew it would only be a matter of time before he caught up with her, her shortness had not come in handy. 

Brahms felt liquid rage rush through his veins. As he chased her down the gravel road he felt something almost.. _exhilarating_ , as if he were some large predator chasing down helpless prey. He found himself grinning, the action caused his jaw and cheekbones to ache, he hadn't smiled like that in a long time. The scent of her only drove his animalistic tendencies wilder, in being so close to her he had smelt her own musk, coupled with the very apparent scent of fear, she knew who she was challenging and that she couldn't possibly hope to win. Her scent carried through the air and he inhaled deeply through his nostrils, the adrenaline rushing through him pushing his body to go faster, completely oblivious to the sharp rocks tearing into the soles of his feet. He had to capture her. He _needed_ it. Her scream echoed through the trees, the wind causing her shirt to flutter, exposing the beautiful skin just beneath, how he wanted to dig his fingernails into it, mark it with his teeth.

Brahms closed the gap between them, Alice had been given quite a head start but she was no match for his height and speed. He held out his hand and gripped the back of her shirt, giving it a sharp jerk until she fell backwards onto the ground. She made a small whimper and he growled, scrambling to pin her down. He straddled her hips and grabbed at her wrists, forcing them down on either side of her head, he panted and lowered his face to hers, his green eyes devouring the helpless look that flashed through her eyes. "Try to escape again and I won't be so kind." He said in a low voice that was almost a growl. 

"Please, let me go! I won't tell anyone what I saw! Please!" Alice whimpered, kicking her feet in defiance as she tried to struggle against his weight and gain the upper hand, but to no avail, he was far too strong. Tears streamed down the sides of her face and she let out a long scream until Brahms brought his hand down and struck her across the face. 

"None of that now, Alice." Brahms felt excitement swell in his trousers and he slowly eased his hips down, rolling them against her, the friction of their hips through their clothes teased out a whimper from him. No. He couldn't. He couldn't be a bad boy, he promised himself he wouldn't, but how could he resist when she felt so good pinned beneath him?

Her voice pulled him from his internal battle. "Are you going to kill me?" Alice whispered, her voice hoarse from screaming.

Brahms felt a tug at his heart, how could she possibly think that? He released her arms and gently took her face in his two hands, leaning forward to press his lips to her cheek through the porcelain of his mask. "Shh." He whispered, smoothing out the locks of her blond hair that had come loose from her bun. "How could I? You're _mine to love_." He said in his childlike voice, trying his best to calm her.

Alice wrinkled her nose and spat at the porcelain mask, "I'll never be yours." She had tried her hardest to have some conviction in her words, but she couldn't deny the sheer terror she felt digging at her insides. 

Brahms paused, anger beginning to sear his nerves. "Don't be a bad girl, Alice." He said in his natural tone and brought his hand back once more, the back of his hand colliding with her already bruising cheek. She whimpered and cried out, fresh tears rolling down her face. "We're going home." He stood up and grabbed her right wrist in a painful grip, dragging her along the gravel road.

Alice cried out in pain as the sharp rocks began to dig into the exposed flesh of her abdomen, her hand beginning to turn red from lack of circulation from Brahms's grip. "Please let me go! Please!" She wailed, trying her best to fight against the pain.

Brahms bit his lower lip, trying to force aside the pulse between his thighs. Ever since he had become a teenager he had taken notice of these.. _urges_ he felt, it wasn't until he was nearly nineteen that he had let his hand venture into his trousers to relieve the ache, and after that it came back even more often, an urge that begged to be satisfied. He always knew that if he were with a woman, he would be the dominant one, but he had no idea his urges were _that_ primal. When Alice had screamed that first day, he knew he wanted her pinned beneath him, and all he could think about were varying ways he could get her to scream again, preferably while she was beneath him. He shook the impure thoughts away and dragged Alice up the front porch steps, shoving her forward into the house before locking the door behind him. 

Alice fell onto the ground with a small groan and scrambled to her hands and knees, easing herself away from Brahms. "What are you going to do to me?" She asked, her voice quivering.

Brahms crouched down, holding out his hand, trying his best to appear non-threatening. "Come here, pretty Alice." He asked in his childish voice.

"W-Why?" She whispered, easing herself back until her back hit the wall.

Brahms cocked his head to the side and he furrowed his eyebrows, he gave a sigh and withdrew his hand, "I'm hungry. I thought we could have lunch."

An idea came to Alice, lunch was a perfect idea, that meant she'd be only a couple steps away from the knife block, with one thrust he'd be incapacitated and she'd be on her way to freedom. "Sure, Brahms, that sounds like a great idea." She forced a smile and stood. 

Brahms smiled, "Yeah?" He asked happily, standing back up, his heart giving a flutter.

Alice nodded, "Yeah. What would you like?"

Brahms thought for a moment, "Milkshakes?"

Alice's eyebrows furrowed for a moment, his back and forth between a child's voice and his own, and his complete change of demeanor was frightening. _Did he have two different personalities?_ She wondered to herself. If so, she much preferred his childishness, the look in his eyes when he allowed his manly side to take over was absolutely terrifying and she found it difficult to keep her thoughts straight through all the fear. She cleared her throat, "Milkshakes sound great." She forced a smile and walked to the kitchen, trying to keep her steps even and calm. 

Alice opened the fridge and pulled out the milk, then cracked open the freezer to grab the ice cube trays. "I'm gonna need the blender. Could you get it for me?" She called, not knowing that Brahms had followed her and was standing just a step behind her. When she felt his breath hit the back of her neck she gasped and turned around, her back pressing almost painfully to the counter. She gulped, "Brahms, did you hear me? I need you to get the blender." She asked, forcing her tone to be confident.

Brahms was shaken from his thoughts and he took a step back, his hands held behind his back, and he nodded slowly. He knelt down to one of the cabinets near the sink and fished through the various appliances in search of the blender.

Alice placed the milk and ice cube trays on the counter and quickly pulled out one of the knives.

Brahms turned his attention to her and his eyes narrowed in anger, he stood up and stepped closer each time Alice took a step back. "Put down the knife, Alice." He demanded, his voice wavering between his two tones of speaking. When she slashed at the air in front of him, he growled, "I said, PUT IT DOWN!" He yelled in his lower pitch, veins bulging out the side of his neck, his blood pressure rising. He reached out his hand to grab at the knife and she slashed at him, cutting the palm of his hand, he hissed in pain and charged forward, gripping Alice's hand in a painful grip, twisting her wrist until it gave a sickening snap and she screamed out in pain, dropping to the floor. Brahms took the knife from her and put it on the counter, he looked down at her, his hands trembling in anger when he finally registered the pain coming from the cut she had inflicted upon him. 

"Please.." Alice cried, cradling her wrist and looking up at him, her blue eyes glazed over with tears. 

Brahms brought his hand forward, back handing her once more. Alice fell onto the ground and lay there in the fetal position as she sobbed, her mind spinning from the whiplash. He gathered up all the knives and looked down at her, "Don't make me punish you again, Alice." He warned lowly and left the room, going to Alice's room to retrieve the knife she had dropped before he entered through one of the many hidden entrances to the walls. He went up to his bedroom within the walls and dumped the knives onto his work table, he gripped the edge of it with a frustrated sigh. Why had she been so difficult? _I'm not a bad boy, she just makes me so angry..I had to do it, I had to do it to get her to stay. She'll see it was for her own good. She'll see how much I love her._


	6. Fracture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Injury, blood.
> 
> Sorry this is a short one, more will be on the way! <3 Thank you for all the lovely support~

Alice struggled to stand, her mind was whirling from the whiplash caused by Brahms' slap. She cradled her injured wrist with her other hand, whimpering as the smallest touch against her wrist exploded in pain. She listened for the sound of Brahms, the last she had heard he had gone upstairs, and then she heard that familiar sound within the walls that she had previously attributed to rats. _He's in the walls, that's how he's been watching me, he's been watching everything I do_. The thought gave her a shudder and it forced all thought of escaping from her mind, she knew that she couldn't outrun him, and if she tried he would no doubt hurt her far worse. 

The sound from the walls traveled to the other side of the house, away from her bedroom and she felt herself relax, if only for a moment. Alice swallowed a lump that had gathered in her throat and walked up the stairs to her bedroom, she closed the door behind her and let out a sob as she looked down at her wrist. Her wrist was beginning to swell and it was already bruising, she stepped into the bathroom and knelt down to the cabinet under the sink, searching through its contents for anything she could use for her wrist. She grabbed a roll of gauze and sat down, she took a deep breath in through her nose and gripped her hand to set the bones but just the amount of pressure on her wrist was too much to bear.

Alice let out a painful scream and grit her teeth together, trying her hardest to keep herself quiet. Fresh tears fell down her bruised cheeks and she stood, stepping into her bedroom to search for something she could make a splint out of. Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement, she looked toward her bedroom door and let out a gasp when she saw Brahms standing there. She backed away, "Please.." She didn't know what she was begging for, she had to fight through the painful dizziness in her mind to even form that one small word.

Brahms cast his gaze down to Alice's wrist and he frowned beneath the mask, "Pretty Alice..I want to _help_ you." He said, his child like voice taking over. He stepped forward, his arms held out in defense, his right palm bandaged from where she had cut him, " _Let me_."

Alice knew there was no way she could fight against him with her dominant hand incapacitated, not to mention the whiplash and severe pain from her fracture she was experiencing. With a soft gulp she nodded and sat down on the edge of her bed, keeping her eyes cast downward so she wouldn't be forced to look into his eyes.

Brahms stepped forward and stood in front of her, he held out his hands and when she placed her injured wrist into his hands, he felt a small smile tug at his lips. Her hand was so small in his, her fingers were slender and the skin was smooth, unlike the calloused hands he possessed. "Alice?" He asked gently. 

"Yes?" Alice whispered, keeping her eyes settled on the ground.

"This is going to hurt." Brahms warned, looking down at the rapidly bruising and swelling skin around her wrist. He felt guilt rush through him, he could only imagine the pain she was in, if only she hadn't tried to cut him, his hand wouldn't have been forced.

"Just..count to three. _Please_." Alice whispered, fighting back tears. 

Brahms nodded and grabbed her hand in one hand, while his other gripped her forearm. "Ready?" He asked, when she nodded he watched her take a deep breath. "One-" He made a quick yanking motion with his right hand, snapping her fractured radius back into its proper place.

Alice let out a scream and bit her lower lip to quiet herself, her teeth digging into the skin of her lip and drawing blood. "Y-You said..you said you'd pull on three!" She growled, gasping in pain.

Brahms sighed, "It had to be done." He turned her hand over gently and rubbed his fingers along the bruised skin. She needed a splint. He set her hand down gently and disappeared from the room. 

Alice looked down at her wrist and sighed in relief, it was no longer crooked, she hoped against hope that it would heal correctly. When Brahms came back into the room, she bristled and looked away, her other hand clenching into a fist trying to hold back the anger she felt. 

Brahms got down onto his knees in front of her and held out four large sticks, "These will have to do until I get Brian to bring you a brace." He placed the sticks onto her wrist, one on each side, and took the roll of gauze from her and began to wrap it tightly, forcing himself to not listen to her cries, just the state she was in now was enough to break his heart, he didn't need to hear her sounds of distress too. He tied a knot with the gauze to keep it from unraveling and gently brought it to his porcelain lips, pressing a kiss to it. "There. All better." He stood up and looked down at her with a smile.

Alice moved her arm, wincing in pain, but he had done a good job at least. She swallowed a lump in her throat and forced herself not to cry, she wouldn't let herself be any weaker in front of him, "Thank you." She whispered.

Brahms noticed the drops of blood on her lip from where she had bitten it, and he reached out his hand, "Look what you've done. Tsk." He wiped the blood from her lower lip gently with his thumb and brought it to his lips under the mask, tasting the salty metallic liquid with a soft sigh. He reached into his pocket and took out two pain relievers, "Here. This will help." He handed them to her with a smile, he had always been the one that was taken care of, it felt good to be the one looking after someone else. 

Alice looked at the pills in his hand, a flash of fear in her eyes as she finally looked up at the green eyes near hidden behind the mask. 

Brahms sighed, "They're pain relievers. I promise."

Alice took them after a moment's hesitation and watched as Brahms stepped into her bathroom, filling her rinsing cup full of water before bringing it to her.

After Alice took the pills and gulped down the cool water, Brahms took the cup and placed it on her night stand. "Do you want me to make you something to eat? I.." He blushed in embarrassment, "I know how to make sandwiches." He held his hands behind his back, his fingers nervously fidgeting as he watched her.

Alice broke eye contact and shook her head, "No. I..I just want to sleep." She whispered, the stress of the day weighing heavily on her mind and body. She could've easily slept for a thousand years, but she had a feeling even that wouldn't have been enough. 

Brahms nodded, "Stand up please, Alice." After a moment, Alice finally stood and he set about making her bed, tucking in the sheets and pulling her blanket back onto the bed. He pulled down the covers and fluffed the pillows and gently took her uninjured wrist, leading her back to the bed. 

Alice recoiled from his grasp and stood beside the bed, blood rushing to her face. "Can you please leave? I need to get undressed." She said in a small voice, hoping that he had never watched her undress before, but a part of her knew that wasn't the case.

Brahms felt heat rise up his neck and he nodded, "Yes." He answered simply and stepped closer to her as she turned away from him, he pressed his chest to her back and held her shoulders, pressing his lips to the back of her head through his mask, "Goodnight Alice." He whispered and left the room. His footsteps were silent the whole way, the only evidence that he had left the room being the soft click of the doors' latch as it closed.

When Brahms finally left the room, Alice felt her shoulders relax in relief, thankful that his prowling eyes weren't watching her anymore. She knew he had watched her through the walls, but for now she could fool herself into the "out of sight, out of mind" state of thinking. Alice eased down her pants and underwear with her uninjured hand and climbed into the bed, slowly pulling the covers up. She lay on her side and sniffled as tears began to fall, allowing herself to finally feel vulnerable now that Brahms wasn't there. She desperately tried to come up with a plan, something she could do to get herself out of this situation, but exhaustion began to overtake her and she found her eyelids fluttering closed before she could protest, losing herself to unconsciousness.

Brahms looked through the keyhole to Alice's room when he had heard her bed squeak, deciding to give her some privacy while she had changed. He watched the curved line of her body and how the sheets clung to it, his heart aching. He hadn't meant to be so rough with her, he was just so _big_ , he found it hard to remember that he wasn't a little boy anymore, that this strange tall body was his own and that it possessed a strength he hadn't understood until he had hurt Alice. _I didn't hurt Alice. I_ punished _her. Bad girls get punished. Be good to me Alice and I'll be such a good boy for you, I'll give you everything I have. I'd never hurt you._

Brahms walked across the hall to his old bedroom and sighed as he looked down at the abandoned bed, the last time it had been used was when Greta had stabbed him. He pushed the painful thought away and crawled into his old bed, not bothering to cover himself with a blanket. He felt his eyes sting with tears, how could Alice possibly hope to understand the internal struggle he constantly felt? His entire life he had been treated as nothing but a child, his parents simply refused to acknowledge that he had grown up until it was far too late, the damage had already been done. Part of him wanted nothing more than to play with Alice, to hear the beautiful music she listened to, to learn about her and become her friend, that was the innocent child like side of Brahms, the one that was still untouched by the plight of the world, ignorant of all consequence of his actions; and then there was the ever present side of him that had begun to manifest when he had become a teenager, the same time that his _urges_ had made an appearance. Try as he might to fight it, he needed a woman in his life, to hold, to kiss, to _possess_ , and along with those urges came this rage he couldn't keep bottled up anymore. It was exhausting fighting between the two, he couldn't suffocate them, they had a mind of their own and they weren't going away.

Brahms tried to fall asleep, but every time Alice turned over in her bed, the bed gave a squeak and he was alert once more, torn away from his sleepiness. He felt his stomach twist with worry, how long would she be cross with him for? He replayed the look on her face over and over in his mind, sighing softly _. I'll be a good boy and make her happy, she'll love me, she just_ has _to. I'd give anything for her._ He climbed out of his bed and walked down the stairs as quietly as possible so he didn't wake Alice, and stepped into the kitchen, he made a ham and cheese sandwich and put it on a serving tray and walked back up the stairs. He balanced the tray on one hand and gently eased Alice's door open. He stepped into the room and placed the tray beside her on the bed, he stood beside her silently, watching her with tender eyes. She was so beautiful, he would've done anything to make her happy. Brahms leaned down and lifted his mask, pressing his lips to her forehead for a moment. Alice made a soft moan in her sleep and he sighed, backing away and lowering his mask, his heart aching. He didn't know how he was going to do it, but he was going to make her love him. He just _had_ to.


	7. Kiss Me Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Sexual assault.

Alice awoke with a start, the last remnants of her nightmare beginning to fade as she awoke. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, something silver catching her eye beside her. She turned her attention to it to find a sandwich on a tray beside her, she felt her stomach twist, she wasn't about to eat anything he made her, for all she knew he could have laced it with something. No doubt the gesture was sweet, but she wouldn't allow his charm to work on her, not when he had just broken her wrist. _He's a monster. Nothing more_ , she reminded herself.

She climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom, she slid out of her clothes and leaned down to fill the tub with hot water. She grabbed the bottle of bubble bath sitting on the ledge and poured the pink soap under the rushing water, smiling at the sweet aroma of bubble gum as large bubbles began to form in the water. She would take her small pleasures when she could, it certainly helped to distract her from the immensely stressful situation she was under right now. After the tub had been filled enough, she shut off the water and climbed in, whimpering when the hot water stung at the cuts on her side and began to work out the tiredness from her back and legs. She kept her injured wrist out of the water, resting it on the ledge while the rest of her body was submerged, her eyes fluttering closed as she relaxed. Alice began to sing to herself quietly, missing the music she had had on her phone, but for now her voice would have to do. 

 

A soft creak in the floor tore Alice from her singing and she opened her eyes, letting out a loud gasp when she saw Brahms standing in the doorway, facing away from her. "Brahms?!" She quickly pressed her thighs together and covered her breasts with her arms, "Get out!"

Brahms felt heat rise up his neck and he bit his lower lip, forcing himself to not look Alice's way, though he couldn't deny the desire he felt to see her beautiful curves up close. "Please don't stop." He pleaded.

Alice raised an eyebrow, "What?".

"You sing beautifully, please don't stop." Brahms said with a smile. When Alice remained quiet, he fidgeted nervously, "I'm sorry I broke your little music player.."

Alice felt anger boil in the pit of her stomach, "I won't forgive you, Brahms. Your apology means _nothing_. When are you going to let me leave?"

Brahms' attention snapped to Alice and he clenched his fists, "You _aren't_ leaving, Alice. Your place is here, with _me_."

"I need medical attention, Brahms. You. Broke. My. Arm."

"No. You'll run away as soon as you're far enough away from me. _I won't have that_." Brahms said in his natural tone, sounding threatening, his eyes turning dark. 

Alice growled and pulled the curtain shut, shielding her from Brahms' prying eyes. "Then at least let me call Brian so he can bring me a brace.."

Brahms thought for a moment and then sighed through his nostrils, "Fine, but I'll be listening, so don't you dare think of asking for help. I won't be so _nice_ next time." He warned and turned, and left the room.

Alice sighed and sunk down into the water until her head was submerged and she let out a long scream until she thought her vocal cords were going to tear. She broke free from the water and wiped at her eyes with a frustrated sigh. She slowly set about cleaning her hair and body, hard to do with only one hand, but after a while she managed. She opened the curtain, took out the tub plug to drain the water and stood, moving the curtain aside a little to make sure Brahms hadn't returned. When she found that he hadn't, she opened it fully and stepped out, grabbing a towel from the rack. 

Brahms paced in his old room, his fists clenching until his knuckles grew white, why did she have to defy him? Why couldn't she just realize that this was where she needed to be? No one in her life could ever love her the way he could, he would care for her when no one else could. He did his best to calm himself, knowing that just like Emily Cribbs, she would need to be broken in first. Just the thought of Emily made his heart race, she had been a difficult case too, one that ended rather badly, but he wouldn't allow himself to get carried away this time. 

Alice quietly dried herself off and got dressed in a loose tank top, sweat pants and socks and let her long blonde hair loose over her shoulders. She stepped out of her room, nervously looking down the halls, listening for any sign of Brahms. When she heard the floor boards creaking in his room, her stomach began to twist nervously, she took a deep breath and stepped over to it. "Brahms."

Brahms stopped his pacing and looked toward his bedroom doorway where Alice stood, his heart beginning to flutter, he had rarely seen her with her hair down, all he wanted to do was comb it with his fingers. He swallowed nervously and took a step forward, "Yes, Alice?"

"I need to call Brian now."

Brahms nodded and left the room, leading her down the stairs to his Daddy's old office, he pointed to the landline phone and stepped to the side, watching her movements with hungry eyes. Alice's still damp tendrils were soaking her shirt, leaving spots that were see through, clinging to her skin, he licked his lips and bit at his lower lip, trying desperately to fight against his urges. Don't be a _bad boy_ , Brahms. 

Alice took the phone and sat down at the desk, taking a deep breath as she dialed the number for the grocery store. She placed the receiver to her right ear and bit her lower lip in anxiety as she waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello?" Came Brian's voice.

"Brian? Hi, it's Alice!" She said cheerfully, honestly thankful for any bit of conversation that didn't involve Brahms, "Listen, I'm gonna need you to pick up something for me if you can and bring it here as soon as possible."

"Sure thing, dear. What'll you be needin'?"

"I need an arm brace."

"Whoa, are you alright?"

"Oh yeah, just my carpal tunnel is acting up, nothing too serious."

"Oh, okay. You sure you won't be needing to see a doctor?"

"No, I'll be fine. That brace should work fine." Alice bit the inside of her cheek, wanting so badly to scream for help, to beg for him to bring the police, she frantically thought of ways she could convey to him that she was being held captive without Brahms noticing, but she knew there was no way.

"Okay, I'll be there within the hour, Miss Alice." Brian said cheerfully.

"Thanks, Brian. Take care." Alice hung up the phone and let out a deep breath, her nails digging into the edge of the desk. She nervously cast her gaze to Brahms, who was still standing at the other side of the room, his hands clasped behind his back, his chest rising and falling rapidly. She frowned, "Stop looking at me like that, Brahms."

Brahms cocked his head to the side, "Like what, Alice?" He asked, his voice falling into his natural tone. He slowly began to step forward, his movements methodical and calculating. 

"Like I'm a piece of meat or something. Just..stop _staring_ , it's rude." Alice got up and walked to the door to leave, but Brahms caught her uninjured wrist in his hands, stopping her. "Let me go." She tugged away from him, but he pulled her close to him with one solid jerk, her chest pressed against his. 

Brahms' thumb made little circles against her wrist, his other hand taking a lock of her dampened hair between his fingers, bringing it up to his mask to inhale the sweet scent of her shampoo. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he let out an almost inaudible growl, excitement swelling within his trousers once more being so close to her. He looked down at her and let his fingers slide down the right side of her face, "You didn't give me a goodnight kiss last night, Alice." He whispered lowly.

Alice felt fear singe at her nerve endings, she gulped softly and slowly stood on the tips of her toes to give a quick kiss to the cheek of his mask. She stepped back down and looked away, "There." She whispered, "Can I go now?".

Brahms shook his head. "I don't want a kiss there."

Alice slowly looked up into his eyes, her chest heaving as she tried her best not to panic. She took a deep breath and stood up on her tiptoes once more and quickly kissed the lips of the mask. She looked into his green eyes in fear, noticing that despite the abundance of light in the room, his eyes were blown out, appearing as if they were no longer green but stark black. He looked like some feral animal, as if all humanity within him was long gone.

"Not there, either." He said in a mocking tone, grinning beneath his mask. 

Alice took a step backwards, "I don't understand.."

Brahms released her wrist from his grasp and slowly brought his hand up to his mask, pulling it away from his skin. He tossed it aside and it fell onto the hardwood floor, cracking in half. He examined her face, taking note of the emotions that flashed across her face: first panic, confusion, and then something she desperately tried to hide by looking away, but nothing could hide the pink shade that began to flower beneath her cheeks. He smirked and cupped her chin, raising her face to meet his, "Here." He whispered, waiting for her to close the gap between them, his mouth near watering at the thought of her full pouting lips pressed against his. 

Alice shook her head, "I-I can't.." She whispered, trying to step away from him, but he wrapped his arms around her waist, further pulling her close to him until their noses were almost pressed against each other. "Please don't.." Her voice cracked.

"Rules are rules, Alice." Brahms warned, impatience beginning to overtake him, if she wouldn't abide by the rules, he would just have to force her. He crashed his lips painfully down onto hers, forcing his tongue to spread her lips and delve between them, tasting every inch of her mouth and tongue, his teeth grinding against hers as he tried his hardest to get closer to her, but it was if he couldn't be close enough. He wanted to possess her, to touch every inch of her skin, to hear her sigh against him. Alice whimpered against his lips and she placed her hands on his chest, trying to push him aside, whispering "no", but her cries were suffocated by his assault. Brahms drew her tongue in between his lips and sucked it in a long slow pull, the action drawing out the smallest of whimpers from her. He stepped forward with her until her back was pressed against the wall of the hallway and pressed his body against hers, his excitement tight in his trousers, pulsing against her. Alice whimpered in fear and struggled against him in a panic, the action only causing more friction against his painfully throbbing erection.

Brahms let out a groan and pinned her wrists above her head, kissing his way along her jaw down to her neck. He drew the flesh of her right pulse point between his teeth and sucked, bucking his hips forward to feel her womanhood against him through her clothes. Alice's whimpers and cries caused the ache to become almost unbearable, he needed release, he didn't care how he got it. Feverishly, he thrust his hips forward, grinding against her mound and lower belly. He bit down painfully on her neck, earning a high pitched shriek of pain, the sound of her panicked cries and breathing coupled with the friction of her struggling body against him was too much to bear and he bit back a whimper as he came, thick ropes of cum staining the front of his dark trousers.

Alice remained still, knowing full well what had happened, heat rising to her face as tears stung her eyes. She bit her lower lip to quiet herself and forced her mind elsewhere, anywhere but here. Brahms' body trembled and he released her wrists, drawing her into a hug as he shivered, his legs almost giving out on him. He buried his face into her neck, inhaling her sweet scent as he pressed tender kisses along her throat. "Alice.. _my Alice_.." He whispered and nuzzled into her, his heart began to ache, for years he had finished himself off as just a means to an end, but having Alice here with him, to have her help him caused a stir in his heart, and his brain began to flood with hormones and chemicals to the point where he felt drunk on her. 

The doorbell rang and Alice quickly pulled herself away, "I-It's Brian.." She panted, wanting to hurry and get away from Brahms, thankful for the wonderful timing. She quickly smoothed out her hair and pushed it all to the right side to try and hide the growing bruise on her neck and smoothed out her clothes when she noticed white wetness at the front of her sweat pants from Brahms' orgasm. She growled in annoyance and tugged down the front of her tank top to cover it and hurried to the front door, she opened it and smiled at Brian, truly happy to see him. "Brian! Thanks for coming." She motioned for him to step inside.

"Any time, Miss Alice. I'm sorry to hear about your condition flaring up on you. I hope I got the right one, there were quite a few to choose from." Brian dug his hand into the paper bag he brought with him, and held out the brace to her.

Alice looked at it and nodded, "This will work just fine. Will you excuse me? Go ahead and make yourself some tea, I'll be down in a minute." She hurried down the hall and up the stairs to her bedroom. She closed her door behind her and untied the gauze from around her wrist and unraveled it, taking the sticks and gauze and tossing them into the bin in her room. She looked at her wrist for the first time since yesterday and nearly doubled over to vomit, it was near black and blue and still very swollen. Biting her lower lip, she pulled the brace on, nearly screaming when it squeezed at the sensitive skin. She quickly fastened it and smiled down at it, it wouldn't be too long and she'd be healed up, hopefully Brahms had set it good enough.

_Brahms._

Just the name gave her the shivers, she shook the thought away and stepped over to her toppled dresser, "God dammit.." She mumbled.

"I can help you." Brahms said in a small voice. Before Alice could scream in surprise, he wrapped his hand over her mouth, "Shh. It's just me." He whispered.

Alice growled and pulled away, "I know it's _you_. It's _always_ you!" She huffed and ran a hand through her hair, "What were you thinking?! Y-You don't just do that stuff without asking someone!"

"What do you mean?" Brahms raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"What you did..t-that's the kind of thing you shouldn't do." Alice shook her head, how could she make someone with a child's mind understand that what he had done was assault? _He' has the mind of a child but the body and urges of a grown man_ , she reminded herself. "It's like this Brahms, there's certain things that only adults should do, and you always have to make sure they _want_ to, otherwise you're hurting them. You _hurt_ me, Brahms."

Brahms lowered his head in guilt, nervously picking at his arm, "I'm sorry, Alice..so, next time I just ask?"

Alice scoffed, "No! I mean, _yes_ , but I won't say yes." She shook her head.

"But..why not?"

Alice pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, then an idea struck her. She knew a way out of this. "Because, those _things_ , like what you did? Only Mommies and Daddies do that. No one else. _Ever_." She held back a smirk, if she was going to get out of this she would have to manipulate him, she couldn't imagine it would be very difficult seeing as he very much had the mind of a child.

Brahms' eyes went wide and he blushed with embarrassment and guilt, " _Oh_." He nodded. "I'm sorry, Alice. I'll be a good boy. I will." 

Alice sighed, "I know, Brahms. I know." She shook her head and sighed once more, "Well, can you at least help me lift the dresser? I need to put on a new pair of pajamas." 

Brahms nodded quickly and hurried over to the dresser, he picked it up easily and scooted it back into place before leaning down to gather up the clothes that had fallen on the floor.

"It's okay, I'll get those." Alice leaned down.

Brahms nodded and stood, looking down at the piece of clothing that was still in his hand. A pair of red lace panties. He felt a pulse between his thighs and nearly gave it back to her, but the temptation was too great. He quickly stuffed them into his pants and stepped out of the room to give her privacy while she dressed.

Alice slid her sweat pants down and kicked them aside, grabbing a pair of plaid pajama pants and slid them on. She grabbed her orange hoodie from the footboard of her bed and slipped it on, pulling up the hood to help hide the bruise on her neck. She left the room and sent a warning glare at Brahms, "I'm going to have a chat with Brian. You'll be a good boy and won't cause any trouble right?"

Brahms nodded eagerly.

"Good." Alice hurried down the steps and went into the kitchen, "Hey! Sorry that took so long. This brace works great by the way, thank you so much." She smiled.

Brian nodded, "Any time, Miss Alice. I brought you some green tea with ginger from the shop as well, my mum always swore by it, helps lift the spirits." He poured the tea from the kettle into two mugs and looked up at Alice, "Sugar? Honey?"

"Honey, please." Alice sat down on the kitchen counter. After Brian poured some honey into her cup, she took it from him with a small nod of thanks and blew at it before taking a small sip. "Mm. Delicious."

Brian stood with his back against the counter and sipped his tea quietly.

"Brian?" Alice asked after a moment, when Brian looked her way she took a deep breath, "Tell me what happened to Brahms. You told me a little, but..I can't help but wonder, why did the fire start? Does anyone know?"

Brian sighed softly, "No. Y'see, this little girl that Brahms always played with, she went missin' on his eighth birthday and after a search party was sent out, they found her in the woods." He rubbed at his tired eyes, "That poor little girl..her head had been crushed with a rock. The police wanted to ask Brahms, because during the hours when she had disappeared, no one had seen him, so he was the number one suspect. They interviewed everyone at the party, but before they could talk to Brahms or his parents, the house was on fire. The police report said that the cause was faulty wiring."

Alice could hear the skepticism in his voice, "You don't think it was?"

"Well, it always seemed a little suspicious, ya know? People in the pubs say that Brahms' parents killed him to protect him, though they'd never dare say that in any formal setting."

Alice thought for a moment, "Why would he kill Emily? Did the police have any idea?" She tucked her legs underneath her and sipped her tea.

"They had a few ideas. Brahms had always been a strange lad, and every time Emily would come home from her visits with Brahms, she'd have bruises. The Heelshires just chalked it up to kids bein' kids and rough housin' and all that, and the Cribbs' didn't want to argue, the Heelshires were the height of society, to be in their social circle was considered a privilege, so I guess they just put it to the side."

Alice felt fear rise up inside her, she knew that the only person who knew the truth was Brahms, and with his delicate state of mind the last thing she wanted to do was ask him about her murder. 

"Well, I oughta be headin' out, Miss Alice. You have yourself a good day." Brian tipped his hat to her and set his cup of tea down on the counter.

"Do you have to?" Alice found herself asking, her heart racing.

Brian chuckled, "I know it can get a little lonely out here, but trust me, an old man's company ain't much better." He smiled and patted her shoulder before leaving the kitchen. 

Alice walked with him to the front door and smiled, "It was nice seeing you. I'll see you on monday." She gave him a wave and watched his car roll down the gravel road. She sighed and looked down at the threshold, wanting nothing more than to cross it, but she knew what would come if she did. She felt something warm tickle the back of her hair and she turned, gasping when she saw Brahms just inches behind her. Her hand flew to her chest and she sighed, "You can't sneak up on me like that, Brahms." She pushed past him but he caught her wrist. She turned to look at him, her eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

Brahms' eyes were narrowed and he raised his hand as if to slap her, when Alice winced and shied away, he lowered his hand and sighed through his nose. "My business is just that, Alice, _mine_. Don't go digging up skeletons." He warned lowly and stepped past her into the kitchen, "It's time for breakfast, I want pancakes." He said cheerfully in his childlike voice, the switch between his two tones nearly gave her whiplash.

Sighing, Alice trudged into the kitchen. She was nothing but a prisoner now, and there was no telling what her captor was going to do next.


	8. I Can Teach Thee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No TWs this chapter. More like, CUTENESS WARNING!!!

Alice inhaled deeply through her nose, this was going to be a difficult arrangement, she was constantly walking on eggshells around Brahms. All day long she'd be wondering: "What is going to set him off next?". She wondered to herself if she could just go along with it all, play pretend and do as he bid, then she wouldn't have to worry about enraging him, but she knew she could only play along with but so much. Brahms was very demanding, and she knew there would come a time when grinding up against her wouldn't be enough, like any virgin, he would constantly push the limits to discover what else he could do, despite him obviously having limited knowledge of the birds and the bees, Alice knew instinct would eventually take over. A shiver ran down her spine at the thought, no, she'd be long gone before that happened, she would just have to earn his favor until she could get away from him, it couldn't be _that_  difficult.

"Alice?" Came Brahms' childlike voice.

"Coming!" Alice called back and took another deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves. She could feel the change in her mind already by it being nearly two days without her medication, it began as a small twinge in the back of her mind, and it was beginning to spread. The thought of being without her medication terrified her, to dispose of her pills was a far worse pain dealt than the fracture of her wrist. She shook the worry from her mind and walked into the kitchen, subconsciously gritting her teeth when she saw Brahms. "Hey." She said awkwardly.

Brahms turned his attention from the kitchen window and looked over at her and smiled. "Hi!" He said happily and walked over to her. "Will you show me how to make those pancakes you made the other day?"

Alice raised an eyebrow, "Your Mum never taught you how to cook? Not even pancakes?"

Brahms shook his head, "We had a cook for a long time, until.." He paused and cleared his throat, "After that, Mummy did all the cooking, but she wasn't all that good at it."

"Well, yeah I guess I can. It's easy." Alice shrugged and brushed past him to get to the utensil drawer to grab a whisk. She looked into it and noticed that all the knives were gone, she cast her glance at the knife block and found that those too, were gone. She swallowed nervously, "Brahms, what did you do with the knives?"

Brahms frowed, "I don't trust you with them, Alice." He said and held up his bandaged hand. "You _hurt_ me."

Alice sighed and rubbed her eyes, "I'll need at least one, Brahms. How will I be able to cut up meats and vegetables?"

Brahms thought for a moment, "I'll do it, until I know I can trust you." He held his hands behind his back, absentmindedly toying with the frays of the gauze on his hand. 

With a deep breath, Alice tore her glance away from Brahms and set about grabbing a pan, a large mixing bowl, and measuring cups. Brahms walked over to her, his height towering a foot higher than hers. "What can I help with?" He asked in a small voice, Alice could hear the excitement in it, and for a moment she felt pity for him, even though her parents and herself didn't get along later in her life, when she was a child her father loved to have her help in the kitchen, it had been one of her favorite childhood memories. For a child to be robbed of those special moments, it was nearly heart breaking. 

"I'll need you to fill these measuring cups with flour. Just reach into the bag with it and scoop. Once it's full, smooth your finger over the top to make it level." Alice instructed, taking a step to the side so that Brahms could stand beside her. She watched as he very delicately put the one cup measuring cup into the bag of flour and did as she had instructed, he looked to her for confirmation and she nodded. Brahms turned the cup high over the bowl, Alice let out a quick, "No!", but it was too late. The flour fell from the cup into the bowl with a big "poof", sending flour dust into the air, getting onto the fronts of their clothes.

Alice coughed and waved the powder from the air, "Well. I guess I forgot to mention that flour can get into the air pretty easily. You have to be careful, Brahms. Like this." She took the half cup and gathered flour into it, smoothed off the top and put it into the mixing bowl, carefully turning it over. 

Brahms blushed, "Oh, sorry.." He scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"No, no. Don't be. It's your first time, these things happen." Alice waved him away, "Go get the milk, some butter, and one egg, please." She wiped off the front of her shirt and reached into one of the cabinets above the stove to grab the baking powder. She grabbed the measuring spoons from the utensil drawer and measured out a couple teaspoons of baking soda and put it into the bowl. 

Brahms cradled the ingredients in his hands and set them down onto the counter beside the mixing bowl. "Can I crack the egg?" He grinned.

Alice looked at Brahms and let out a guffaw at the excited look on his face, a grown man this excited about cracking an _egg_? When Brahms furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, Alice waved her hand, "I'm sorry. It's just I don't think I've ever seen anyone this happy about cooking before, many see it as a chore and prefer to get take away." 

"What's take away?" Brahms raised an eyebrow.

Alice's eyes widened, "You've never-" She gave herself a mental slap against the forehead, of _course_ he didn't know what take away was, he was rich and had a cook growing up, and his mother had groceries delivered to the house on a weekly basis, of _course_ they never went to take away restaurants. "There are restaurants where you can order food and bring it home with you." 

 

Brahms nodded with a soft "Oh". Alice handed him the measuring spoons and pointed to the sugar bowl, "We need two tablespoons of sugar."  

Brahms looked at the measuring spoons with a confused expression, "Alice, _none_ of these say "tablespoon". What's "Tuh-Buh-ss"?" He asked and looked over at her.

"That's the abbreviation for tablespoons. And the one that says "T-S-P" is for teaspoons." Alice chuckled for a moment but then slumped against the counter, her hand cupping her forehead as she suddenly began to feel dizzy.

"Alice?" Brahms rushed forward, his hand on her shoulder, "Are you okay?" His voice dropping to its natural octave.

"No." Alice sighed and shook her head, "I need those pills, Brahms. I need to get a new prescription." 

Brahms shook his head, "No. Mummy and Daddy tried to give them to me, they made me feel weird. I don't want you to hurt too."

"They work differently for everyone, Brahms. For me, they _help_ the hurt." Alice eased herself from the counter when the dizzy spell lifted and she looked up at him, her eyes pleading, "You have to let me call my doctor. If I don't get my medication back, things will get _bad_."

 

Brahms slowly nodded, "Okay, Alice..I..I think I understand." He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her into a hug, nuzzling his face into her neck. "I don't want you hurt."

Alice froze for a moment, surprised by the sudden act of affection. His beard tickled her neck and she had to fight to keep herself from giggling, she gave his back a small pat and pulled away. "C'mon, let's finish this recipe." Alice said. Brahms put two tablespoons of sugar into the mix and looked over at Alice for instruction. She pointed to the whisk, "Now we mix all the dry ingredients together, that way when we make the pancakes we won't have any lumps." 

Brahms grabbed the whisk and stuck it into the mixing bowl, quickly mixing the dry ingredients which gave a small poof of powder into the air. He quickly stopped and looked at Alice with a guilty expression, "I was supposed to go slower, wasn't I?" He asked shyly. Alice nodded with a chuckle. Brahms eased the whisk around the bowl while Alice melted a few tablespoons of butter in a small dish in the microwave.

Alice poured the butter into the mixing bowl and handed Brahms the egg, "Have you ever cracked an egg before?" Brahms shook his head "no". Alice set the dish that she had melted the butter with down onto the counter, "Crack the egg in this, that way if you get some shells in it, we can pick them out. No one wants an eggshell in their pancake. Take the egg and tap it onto the counter until it cracks a little, then take both your thumbs and press them to it and pull apart. Easy as pie." 

Brahms nodded and took the egg, he tapped it onto the counter, but he had done it too lightly and it hadn't cracked at all. His eyebrows furrowed and he tapped harder, the egg cracked all the way through and egg spilled out onto the counter. He sighed and hung his head in frustration, his fists clenching.

Alice's eyes widened when she saw his body language, she knew the best thing to do was to keep him happy at all times if possible, steering him away from anything that could upset him. It was proving to be absolutely _exhausting_. "Brahms." She rested her hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye for only about the third time since he had removed his mask, still trying to get used to the burnt portion of his face. She wouldn't describe it as ugly, or monstrous, it was certainly shocking at first, but mostly she couldn't help but feel sad and even more curious. Her eyes fell upon his scars and she quickly looked away before he could notice, "It's okay. Everyone breaks eggs sometimes, especially if they've never done it before. Don't worry. We've got plenty more to work with." She gave his back an awkward pat and walked over to the fridge to get another egg. She walked back over to him and handed it to him, when he took it, she kept her hand on his. "I'll help you, okay?"

Brahms watched her with fascination, true she had seemed shocked and panicked when she had first seen him without his mask, but it was as if she was more comfortable around him _without_  his mask on. The mask he had come to know so well, his constant companion, the very thing he relied on to feel normal was gone and instead of insults and looks of horror, she was treating him like any other person. The touch of her hand on his sent an electric spark throughout his body, he could barely comprehend what she was saying, all he could focus on was the warmth coming from her skin and the little intricate wrinkles of her pale knuckles that were dwarfed by his own hands; he wanted nothing more than to raise them to his lips and kiss them like all the gentlemen did with their leading ladies in the films he had watched. Alice raised his hand and he yielded to her touch, following her direction, and cracked the egg onto the corner of the counter. When he picked it up, he saw that it had split just the right amount, he looked to Alice with an excited smile and did as she had told him and put his thumbs into the crack, gently prying it open. The egg plopped down into the dish and he eyed it for any loose shells, but found none.

Brahms laughed and looked at Alice with wide eyes, "I did it, Alice!" He said with excitement.

Alice snickered, "Yeah, yeah you did, Brahms." She gave his shoulder a pat and pointed to the bowl. "That goes in the bowl too. Now all we need is some milk." She grabbed the one cup and the fourth cup and held them over the bowl. "Just pour the milk into these, but go slow, you don't want to spill." 

Brahms grabbed the milk carton and unscrewed the cap, he gingerly tipped it over and poured the milk into the two measuring cups, thankful that he hadn't overpoured. _Why hadn't Mummy and Daddy let me do this? I'm not so bad at cooking._ _Maybe Alice will show me how to make that pasta she did the first night she came here,_ he thought to himself. He put the milk back into the fridge and grabbed the whisk, slowly mixing all the ingredients together. Alice stuck her hand into the salt pot, gathering salt between three fingers and sprinkled a little salt into the bowl as he was mixing, he cast a glance over at her and found himself smiling, how could she look so beautiful doing the most basic of human movements? Brahms looked back down at the bowl, slowly pushing the mixture aside this way and that to make sure there were no lumps, "Are we done now?"

"Nope. One more thing, my secret ingredient." Alice stood on her tiptoes at the stove and reached into the cabinet above it to grab the small bottle of vanilla extract, "One teaspoon of this." She unscrewed the cap and poured it into the spoon and dumped it in, she brought the bottle to her nose and inhaled deeply, "Delicious. Here, smell." She held it out to Brahms.

Brahms set down the mixing bowl and took the small bottle, bringing it to his nose to inhale the aroma. It smelled just like _Greta_. For a moment he winced, but when he looked at Alice, all memory of Greta began to fade, and a new memory tied itself to that wondrous scent. _Alice._ He smiled and brought the bottle to his lips and took a swig.

"No!" Alice yelled, her eyes wide. She covered her mouth to hide a smile when Brahms choked and coughed.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" Brahms fussed, putting down the bottle and spitting into the sink. 

Alice giggled into her hand, she had also noticed that it was the first time she had ever heard him swear. "It's vanilla pods that are steeped in alcohol, you're not supposed to _drink it_ , it's only supposed to be used in small amounts in baking."

Brahms' eyes went wide, "I just drank alcohol?! What do I do?" He panted.

Alice doubled over laughing, tears springing to her eyes, "No! No! Not _that_ kind of alcohol." She said in between bouts of laughter. She straightened herself up and wiped at her eyes, "It's an alcohol people drink. Did your parents ever drink wine or beer?" Brahms nodded. "Well, it's that kind of alcohol, it won't hurt you." Alice put the vanilla extract back into the cabinet, "I did the same thing when I was little, my dad said I smelled like a drunk." Alice giggled, "Just goes to show you, just because something smells nice doesn't mean it tastes good, just like perfume." She said with a shrug. She took the mixing bowl into her hands and gave it a final stir, "Alright, I think we're good to go." She looked back over at Brahms, "You okay?"

Brahms nodded, his arms crossed over his chest. "Though I don't like being the butt of your jokes." He said with a small huff and looked away, his cheeks burning red.

"Well hey, I'm not the one who decided to drink it. Besides, I think I'm due a couple laughs at your expense, it's the least you could do after _this_." Alice motioned to her wrist, her eyes still filled with hurt. 

Brahms sighed, his head hanging low, "I told you I was sorry, Alice."

"And I told you that I would need more than an apology." She sighed, "I don't want to talk about it anymore." Alice waved him away and put the pan onto the stove and turned on the burner. She placed a small pad of butter onto it and moved it around with a spatula to coat the pan, much preferring the real thing to the butter flavored non-stick sprays.

Brahms felt guilt clench his stomach once more, he slowly walked over to Alice and joined her at the stove, silently watching her movements.

"Funny shapes or circles?" Alice asked, breaking Brahms from his trance. 

"Hm?"

"Your pancakes. What shapes do you want?" Alice asked once more.

"Does it change the taste?"

"Not a bit, but the funny shaped ones look better."

"Funny ones." Brahms smiled.

Alice poured the mix from the bowl onto the hot pan, moving it about in no set pattern. She set the bowl down and leaned against the stove, watching the batter begin to bubble. Brahms stepped behind her and placed his hands beside hers on either side of the stove, his chin just inches above her right shoulder. He inhaled deeply, smelling the rosey scent of her shampoo coupled with the sweetness of the pancake batter and he felt woozy, his heart hammering hard against his chest being so close to her. It had never been like this with Greta, Greta had been afraid of him and had run away, she had _betrayed_ him. Greta thought of him as nothing more than the ghost of some unfortunate child, but Alice saw him as a man, and she wasn't running away. _Maybe she's just trying to get on my good side so she can trick me again. Daddy always said, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.", I think that means that the first time it's their fault, and the second time it's mine because I let them fool me. I won't be made a fool of Alice. If you hurt me like Greta did, there will be nothing that will save you._

Brahms shook the dark thoughts from his mind, wanting to focus on the warmth he was feeling instead. He noticed the bubbling of the batter on the pan and raised an eyebrow, "How do we know when it's time to flip it?"

"You see those bubbles?" Alice pointed. Brahms answered with an "Mhm". "When they're all over the pancake and the sides begin the lift up, we know the other side is done and it's time to flip it. See?" She pointed to the sides, they were already lifting from the pan. She slid the spatula under the pancake and lifted her hand, effortlessly turning over the pancake. 

"Whoa! Can I try one?" Brahms smiled.

"Sure." Alice went to step out of his way, but Brahms had her caged between his hands gripping the stove on either side of her. 

"I want to stand here." He whispered.

"Oh..o-ok." Alice cleared her throat nervously and began pouring the batter onto the pan for the second pancake. She stood there completely still, keeping herself pressed to the stove to give herself as much space from Brahms as she could. 

Brahms pushed his body forward, pressing his chest to her back, he rested his chin on the top of her head and sighed with a small moan, a smile tugging at his lips as he enjoyed her presence. He could feel Alice shivering beneath him and he felt a pang in his heart, did he really scare her so? _I wish I didn't lose my temper so much. I wish I weren't so_ big _, I don't mean to frighten her._ He sighed through his nose and pulled his body away hesitantly, stepping over to Alice's right side. He looked over at her and offered her a small smile.

Alice's body relaxed visibly when Brahms no longer had her caged, and she returned the smile, though it was strained. She tore her eyes away from him and nodded, "Okay, you can flip it now." She handed him the spatula and stepped aside a little to make room for him. "Just tuck it up under the pancake slowly, lift and flip it."

Brahms slowly eased the spatula under the pancake and lifted it, he held his breath and turned over his hand, the pancake fell onto the pan perfectly and he gasped. He looked over at Alice with wide eyes, "I did it, Alice! I did it on the _first try_!" He squealed with happiness and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her up and twirling her around the kitchen.

Alice clutched onto his back in a panic, her eyes wide, this was certainly not doing anything for her bouts of dizziness. She forced out a chuckle and patted his shoulder, "That's right, Brahms, you did it. Um..you can put me down now." She gulped. She had always been on the curvy side, and for him to pick her up in such a way was impressive, who knew such muscles were contained in his slender frame?

Brahms blushed, "Sorry." He set her down gently and chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I got excited."

"Its okay. Really. I was the same way when I finally got to flip a pancake the right way, it took me well over twenty tries to get it right. You may just be a prodigy, Brahms." Alice gave him a thumbs up and went back to the stove. "Set the table for me, please? And don't forget the syrup."

Brahms grabbed the syrup, utensils, and plates for them both and stepped into the dining room, setting his place at the head of the table and hers at his left. He sat down at the head of the table, his knees bouncing with excitement, what a wonderful day this was, perhaps things really were changing. _I knew she'd be happy here. I just knew it!_

When Brahms left the room, Alice let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and rubbing her eyes, she felt absolutely exhausted. To pretend that everything was alright, to practically play house with a crazed maniac was proving to be tiring, but she couldn't deny it felt somewhat good to have some normalcy around here, even if it was faked on her part; anything to keep him happy was worth it, she wasn't sure how many other limbs she could risk breaking. She poured two glasses of milk and put all the pancakes onto a serving plate, she brought in the serving plate first and went back into the kitchen for their glasses of milk. Alice set everything down and sat down at her place on the left side of Brahms. "How many pancakes do you want?" Alice asked.

"Three, please." Came Brahms' childlike voice.

Alice jabbed her fork into the mound of pancakes and plopped three onto his plate. She served herself two and drizzled some syrup onto her pancakes, setting it back onto the table for Brahms. Brahms poured a generous amount of syrup onto his pancakes and quickly began carving into the fluffy cakes, stuffing them into his mouth. He moaned softly, gripping his fork tight, "Alice.." He said in a low voice.

Alice looked to him with a worried expression, getting a tighter grip on her fork just in case. "Yes?" She whispered.

"These are amazing." Brahms' voice went back to its higher pitch and he looked over at her with a smile, a bead of syrup dripping down his lip into his beard.

Alice laughed in relief, "Thanks. Though you did half the work so you're to thank too." She took a bite of her pancakes and made a small "Mm" sound, "You know, this is my mum's recipe. She'd always make them for breakfast for our birthdays." 

Brahms cocked his head to the side a little, "Do you have siblings?"

"Yeah, two. An older sister and an older brother. My sister lives in Italy, my brother lives in London." Alice felt a small pang of sadness, she missed how happy she had been when all of her family had been together, but as soon as her siblings had left, things had gone downhill. 

"Are you close?" Brahms took a sip of his milk.

"Not like we were, but we still talk. My mum and dad though..I dunno, we just don't get on like we used to." Alice took another bite.

"Why?"

"That's a long story, Brahms." 

Brahms leaned over a little, his eyebrows furrowed, "Tell me?" He asked in his small voice.

"Not tonight. That's the end of it." Alice snapped, shooting him a glare.

Brahms' face scrunched up in anger, "But I want to know! I want to know _everything_ about you, Alice." 

"Brahms, that's not how it works. It takes time to get to know someone.." Alice rubbed her forehead in exhaustion.

Brahms crossed his arms in annoyance, pouting as he looked down at his food, not touching it.

"Oh come on, you need to eat." Alice sighed.

"Not until you tell me something about you."

Alice groaned, "Alright, fine. Ask me something, just..please, not about my parents."

Brahms thought for a moment, and then smiled, "How many songs do you know?"

"What?" Alice snickered, "How on earth could I know that?"

"I know how many I know." Brahms said with a shrug, as if it were the easiest answer in the world. "I know three hundred and twelve, counting the one you played for me."

Alice's eyes squinted in confusion, then it hit her. He only knew the songs on the records his parents had bought him. She felt her heart ache, music had always been her life, and here was this man who only knew a very small fraction, completely ignorant of music outside the realm his parents thought proper. She sighed and shook her head, "Most people know far more than that, Brahms. Music is everywhere, it's practically inescapable. I'd guess that the average person knows tens of thousands of songs."

Brahms' eyes widened, "Really?" He sat back in his chair, staring off into space in awe. He looked over at Alice, "Could you show me more? I'm sick of all the same old songs. Mummy and Daddy never let me listen to anything other than what was in the library." He said, his eyes pleading.

Alice thought for a moment, "I suppose I could get a cd player and have Brian pick up some cds." She shrugged, when she saw the confused look on Brahms' face, she thought for a moment, trying her hardest to put things into terms he could understand. "A cd is like a record, only it's much smaller and it can play more songs than a record sometimes. They're about this big." She held out her hands in the shape of a circle.

"Ohhh, so it's like a seven inch record, but it plays more than one song?" 

Alice nodded, "Yep. And they aren't black either, they're silver, and when you move them it looks like a rainbow." She laughed at her own explanation, it truly was like having a conversation with a child, a child with anger issues and a plethora of _other_ issues, but a child nonetheless. "Hang on. Now that I think of it..have you ever seen a movie, Brahms?"

Brahms rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "Yes, _Alice_ , I've seen movies."

"Oh? Which ones do you like?"

"Gone With The Wind, and Casablanca are my favorites." 

Alice raised an eyebrow, "Have you ever seen any movies from _this_ century?"

Brahms looked away in embarrassment, "No. Mummy and Daddy wouldn't allow it, not with novels, either."

Alice sat back in her seat, "Well, you've got quite a lot of catching up to do. If you want I can have Brian go into the city to get a dvd player and some movies, and a cd player and some cds."

"Really?" Brahms felt excitement bubble up inside of him, as if he were doing something he knew his Mummy and Daddy would disapprove of, and therefore it made it all the more attractive. "I'd love that." He grinned.

"Okay." Alice nodded, "Finish your food, and I'll give Brian a ring." 


	9. Cleansed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Sexual assault.

Alice cleaned up the dishes after they ate and stepped over to Brahms, "So, what kind of movies and music do you want me to have Brian get?"

Brahms smiled, "Anything!"

Alice scoffed, "Well, Brahms..that doesn't really narrow it down. I mean, there's a lot out these days. What sort of movies would you prefer? There's comedies, horror, romance-"

"Romance and comedies." Brahms said with a nod.

Alice's eyebrows furrowed as she looked at him. _I bet he's never known a day of laughter since the fire_ , she thought to herself. "Okay, I think I've got a good idea for some movies. And music, did you like the song I played for you?"

Brahms' eyes softened, "Oh yes. It was beautiful." He looked away, his cheeks turning a soft pink. _It's my favorite song in the world._

Alice nodded, "Okay. I'll be right back." She said and walked down the hall, and stepped into Mr. Heelshire's office. She sat down at the desk, she grabbed the phone and pressed it to her ear as she dialed the number for the grocery store. She watched Brahms come into the room and she felt her fingers twitch a little, he clearly still didn't trust her, but she knew it would take time. She'd do her best to gain his favor, then when he least expected it, she'd make a run for it somehow. She gave Brahms a strained smile, and turned her attention to the desk, trying to find any excuse not to make eye contact with him; being around Brahms was like running a 5k, afterwards all you wanted was to rest, and all she wanted right now was some peace and quiet without him watching her every move.

Finally, a voice came through on the other line, an elderly woman. "Hello?"

"Hi! This is Alice, I'm trying to get in touch with Brian?" Alice said with a cheery smile, she couldn't wait to see him, he reminded her so much of her dearly departed grandfather. 

"Oh, one moment dear." The old woman spoke softly. 

The line went quiet for a moment and after a minute, Brian came onto the line. "Miss Alice! How are ya? Is the brace still workin' well?" He asked.

Alice looked down at the brace around her wrist, it was still tremendously sore but nowhere near as badly as it had been when it was first broken. "Yes, it's working very well, thank you. Listen, I have another favor to ask you, I know I'm probably bothering you-"

"Oh not at all, dearie! It gives me some good exercise, the missus is always harpin' that I need more of it anyhow." Brian chuckled, "What'll ya be needin', Miss Alice?"

"Well I'll need you to stop by a tech shop to get a dvd player and a cd player. It gets a little boring playing the old records, and reading the same old books every day."

"Ahh, I see. I wouldn't blame ya, and I'm sure the little lad will be pleased with the change! He needs a little variety in his life." Brian cackled and then couched from laughing too hard at his own joke.

Alice giggled, "I'm sure he'll love it."

"And what sort of cd's and dvd's will ya be wantin'?" Brian asked, and Alice could hear the rustle of a piece of paper.

Alice thought for a moment, "As far as movies, I think The Notebook, Finding Nemo, Titanic, and Home Alone to start with." It would certainly take a long time getting Brahms up to date with modern movies, there were far too many wonderful ones to choose from, good thing she wouldn't be here for that much longer if everything went according to plan.

"And the cd's?"

"Ladies and Gentlemen We're Floating in Space by Spiritualized, One-X by Three Days Grace, Duotones by Kenny G, The Very Best of John Denver, and Peace of Mind by Rebelution. I think that'll be a good even spread." Alice gave a soft laugh, all of those albums couldn't be farther apart from one another, but it would be a good way to gauge what sort of music Brahms would be into and she would be able to go from there. "I think that'll be it. Oh! Jeez, I nearly forgot. I'll be needing a flat screen tv as well. I'm sure the Heelshire's won't mind." Alice laughed nervously, hating to ask so much of him.

"Nah, they told Malcolm, the grocery boy before me, that we are to supply you with whatever you'll need up there. I know their house in't up to date with the rest of us, so I figured it would only be a matter of time before someone updated." Brian gave a chuckle, "I'll have those for you before tonight, Miss Alice, should be no problem."

"Wonderful, thank you, Brian. Take care." Alice hung up the phone and looked over at Brahms who was now sitting in a chair at the other side of the desk, a small smile still on his face. She chuckled, "Excited, I take it?"

Brahms nodded quickly, "Very. Mummy and Daddy never let me listen to anything modern, it's so..strange, but I like it. What was that song you played for me?" He leaned forward.

"It's called Ladies and Gentlemen We're Floating In Space, by this band called Spiritualized. It's my favorite song really. I first heard it when I watched this movie called Vanilla Sky, it's really an incredible movie, it really set the tone for that scene and now whenever I listen to it, it makes me think of the movie and it just..really puts me in this certain mood." Alice shrugged.

Brahms chuckled, "Yeah, I noticed."

"What?" Alice leaned back in her chair, her eyebrows furrowed, "So you _were_ watching me that day, I..I thought someone was." She stood up and walked out of the room and across the hall to the music room and stepped over to the wall she had touched just days prior. "I couldn't understand it but I felt like someone was here with me, it made me feel not so alone." She placed her hand on the wall.

Brahms followed her and stood in the doorway, leaning against it, "Me too." He whispered, a lump gathering in his throat.

Alice turned her head, "That's how you've been hiding isn't it? You've been in the walls?"

Brahms looked away and nodded, staying silent.

"Why?" Alice asked, keeping her tone even and calm. "You don't have to tell me, but..I'd like to know. All I've got to go on are rumors."

Brahms walked over to one of the chairs in the room and sat down, his elbows resting on his knees. His Mummy had hated seeing him sit like that, she'd always smack him across the knuckles with a ruler and tell him to "sit like a gentleman". He ran a hand through his curly brown locks and heaved a sigh, "Mummy and Daddy didn't know what to do with me. So they hid me away, and there I stayed." He said, his voice slipping into a lower octave. 

Alice couldn't help but feel pity for the poor creature, whatever had happened, that was a cruel fate for a child; obviously all it had done was further break his very fragile psyche. She didn't know what to say, so she walked over to him and patted his shoulder, noticing his clothes were covered in flour from earlier and his hair looked as if he hadn't bathed in months. "Come on, you need to go get a bath and get into some clean clothes." 

Brahms frowned, "No." He stood and stepped away from her, "I don't want to." 

"Everyone has to do things they don't want to sometimes, Brahms, it's part of life whether you like it or not." Alice crossed her arms.

Brahms huffed, "I'm the head of this house, Alice, I don't have to do anything I don't want to." He countered.

"Fine. I won't watch any movies with you, or share music with you." She shrugged and prepared to leave the room but he caught her wrist, his eyes pleading.

"Please. Please don't make me." He whispered, begging.

"You want to be a good boy for me, don't you?"

Brahms nodded eagerly. 

"Then you'll go get your clothes so I can wash them, and you'll get in the tub. I'll come get your clothes after my shower, I'm covered in just as much flour as you are." 

Brahms growled in annoyance and stomped out of the room and down the hall, entering into one of the entrances to the walls.

Alice went up to her room and opened her top dresser drawer, looking for a pair of new panties, a bar, and socks. She grabbed a simple pair of white and black polka dotted panties, striped socks and a black bra when something caught her eye, or rather, the absence of something. She shuffled through her undergarments and socks but found no trace of her red lace panties, "I could've swore I packed those.." She whispered to herself. She shrugged and opened the lower two drawers, grabbing a galaxy tie dyed tank top and white and blue pinstripe shorts. She closed her door and locked it, walking into her bathroom where she stripped out of her flour covered clothes and placed her new ones folded up on the edge of the sink. She turned on the shower head, the water a little warmer than she preferred and stepped in, sighing as the warm water beat down on her aching muscles, if this was the only place she could get a reprieve from him, then by god she was going to get her monies worth. Alice conditioned her hair and washed her body and face, and stood still under the stream for a while, figuring it would take Brahms a while to gather his things. 

She thought to herself how exactly she'd do it, how she'd get out of this situation. What would she do once she was free? It wasn't as if she had anywhere to go, her aunt had passed, her brother and sister had minimal contact with her, and her parents..well, that was a whole different situation entirely. Is it really so bad here? She thought to herself but mentally gave herself a slap for even thinking that, of course it was, she was being held prisoner with a sexually frustrated man who had the emotional temperament of a child, with a strength she couldn't combat. With a sigh she turned off the shower, knowing she couldn't hide away in the shower forever, and she stepped out. Alice quickly dried herself off, slid on her new clothes and tossed the others into the hamper, and ran her brush through her hair, working out any annoying tangles. She tied her hair up into a bun and left the bathroom.

Brahms walked through his bedroom in the walls, an old bin stuffed under his arm as he gathered the dirty clothes from his floor. He grumbled to himself as he gathered all his clothes, which weren't many, so many of them were moth eaten or simply torn and in need of mending. He set the bin down on his table and looked down at his clothes, Alice had a right to be cross, his little accidents in the kitchen had coated them both in a healthy dusting of flour. In truth, he couldn't remember the last time he had had a shower, or even a bath, for twenty years he had only used the sink in his room within the walls to wash the necessary parts of himself. _But I want to look good for Alice, Mummy always said women love a man who looks sharp_ , he thought to himself and sighed, he wondered if he could even figure out how to work the shower. Brahms took off his cardigan and his white shirt and tossed them into the bin with the rest of his clothes and began unclipping his suspenders, he set them down and worked his trousers down, stopping when he noticed a piece of red fabric peeking out from his pocket. He pulled out the pair of red lace panties and put his trousers in the bin, walking over to his bed with the thin scrap of fabric. He sat down on his bed and he felt the frustration of the day beginning to hit its peak, flashes of Alice raced through his mind: the wet spots of her shirt from her wet hair, the sound she had made when he bit into her neck, the blush that had crept across her cheeks when she saw the mess he had made at the front of her sweat pants. 

Brahms' fingers trembled as he studied Alice's panties, with a small gulp he lifted them to his nose and inhaled deeply, the undeniable scent of woman filled his senses and he whimpered, his erection causing his boxers to tent. With one fluid motion he freed his pulsing member and wrapped his hand around it, slowly stroking up and down as he inhaled, thoughts of her pinned beneath him circling his mind. He wanted her, he needed her, he needed to hear her scream again, scream his name, beg him to stop, beg for mercy. Pleasure flooded his senses as he neared his climax, his eyes rolled into the back of his head. He wondered to himself, does she taste as good as she smells? He let out a growl and brought the intimate fabric to his mouth, slowly easing his tongue along the crotch of her panties, tasting her dulled juices. _Alice_. Brahms cried out in pleasure as he came, gripping his thickness even tighter, pumping furiously to ride the waves of his climax, sucking the sweet fabric between his lips.

As Brahms' orgasm ebbed, he let her panties drop to his bed as he was panting, his entire body trembling from the force of his climax, he was sated, for now. He grabbed a nearby wash cloth and cleaned himself up, blushing at the thought of what he had just done, hopefully Alice wouldn't notice they were missing. Then a thought occurred, why use the same ones when he could simply sneak into her bathroom to nab a pair worn the same day? The thought almost made him hard again, he forced the thought to the back of his mind and grabbed his bin full of clothes and left through the opening in the music room. He listened for Alice's footsteps and smiled when he heard her coming down the stairs. "Alice."

Alice gasped and jumped in surprise on the stairs, nearly losing her footing. "Jesus! Why do you have to walk around so quiet?" She huffed, a flush pink rushing to her cheeks as her blood pressure skyrocketed from the scare. If she only knew that's exactly why he did it, just that shade of pink on her skin made him ache. She came down the stairs and turned the corner, her eyes widened at Brahms in only his boxers. "Where are your clothes?" She asked, frowning.

"You said to get all my dirty clothes ready to wash." Brahms raised an eyebrow.

Alice began to speak but stopped, she _had_ said that. She huffed and brushed past him, walking to the laundry room. She threw open the washer and took the bin from Brahms. "Well, it's a good thing you don't really have any whites, that's less we have to seperate." She said with a shrug and tossed his clothes into the washer, making sure to breathe in through her mouth. She poured nearly double the amount of washing liquid into the washer and set it to wash, then closed the lid. She looked at the remaining clothes in the bin that were whites and scrunched up her nose at how stained and torn they were, "These are going in the trash." She shook her head.

"Those are my favorite shirts!" Brahms protested.

"We can get you new ones, these are ruined." Alice said, tapping her foot impatiently. As she looked at Brahms, she couldn't help but notice his physique, he certainly wasn't a bad looking bloke, hell, she'd go so far as to say he was well and truly handsome, even with the scars on the upper right part of his face. She tore herself from her guawking when she noticed the scar on his stomach just above his belly button. "Whoa, what happened there?" She pointed. 

Brahms looked down and felt rage begin to simmer inside of him, "Greta hurt me."

"Who?"

"My nanny before you. All I wanted was a goodnight kiss and she hurt me, so I had to hurt her back." Brahms growled, his eyes dilating to the point where they almost seemed black.

Alice swallowed and took a step back, "I'm sorry.." She said gently, not knowing what else to say. _That must be the girl who ran off with the grocery boy. Lucky girl, she got away in time._ "Well." She began, in a desperate attempt to change the subject, "In the meantime, let me find you something to wear." She tried to step past him, but he blocked her way.

Brahms cocked his head to the side, "Why are you scared, Alice?" He whispered lowly.

Alice avoided his eyes, "I'm not scared." She lied, her body trembling being so close to him. 

Brahms stepped closer to her, for each step he went forward, she went backwards until her back slammed into the wall. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose, "I can smell it on you, pretty Alice. Your fear." He whispered, allowing his lower octave to take over, and gripped her throat, his hand very easily wrapping around it. "How does it feel knowing I could crush your windpipe, and you wouldn't be able to stop me?" He asked, pressing his lips to her ear, his tongue slowly sliding from between his lips to curve around the shell of her ear. 

Alice whimpered in his grasp, her hands trying to pry his hand off her throat, "Please, Brahms, I've done nothing wrong!" She pleaded, tears stinging her eyes.

Brahms teased her ear with his teeth and drew her lobe between his lips, sucking it as his other hand slid down her side, sliding beneath her panties at her hip. "Should I give you a kiss?" He released her throat and kneeled in front of her, his mouth watering being so close to her womanhood, true he had little information of the female anatomy, but he had a good idea of what lay just beneath her shorts and panties. "Perhaps I should kiss you here?" He asked and leaned forward, her scent almost driving him to madness. He pressed his lips to her shorts just below her bellybutton, his hands sliding up her outer thighs, "Will it make you cry? I _love_ to hear you cry. Let's see if I can make you sob. What beautiful cries will I be able to draw out of you?" He said and tugged at the hem of her shorts with his teeth.

Alice whimpered and gripped at the wall behind her, her knees knocking. "Please..don't! You said you'd never hurt me. You're a good boy, Brahms, good boys don't do this!" She pleaded with a shriek. 

Brahms was torn from his onslaught and he looked up at her, his pupils constricting as his blood pressure began to level out and the bulge in his boxers began to fade. "Alice.." He whispered in his childlike voice and stood up, his eyebrows furrowed. He reached out to touch her face but she winced and ran past him out of the room, the sound of her sobs echoing through the hall. He looked down at his hands, they trembled. _Am I still a good boy?_

Alice ran to the livingroom and fell onto the couch, sobbing into one of the throw pillows, her fists clenching the fabric. She heard a small coo of a sound and turned her attention to it, finding Brahms in the doorway. "Please! Please!" She begged, scooting further away on the couch, kicking her feet. 

Brahms got down onto all fours, "Alice, pretty Alice.." He whispered childishly, "I didn't mean to make you so upset." He crawled over to her slowly, the sound of Alice's cries escalating in volume the closer her got. He sat on the floor beside her legs and wrapped his arms around them, nuzzling his face against her leg, "Please forgive me." His voice cracked. "I'll be a good boy. I'll be good." He whispered it over and over like a chant.

Alice swallowed down the lump rising in her throat and looked down at Brahms, how could he go from being so sweet and gentle to someone so..sadistic? The thought made her shudder, she didn't want to know. Fuck this. Fuck it all. She just wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. If she had to strike a deal with the devil himself she would to get away from him. "I-It's okay, Brahms." She forced out the words, they were sharp and stabbed at her tongue, but she had to say them, had to make him believe. She cautiously reached out her hand and ran her fingers through his matted locks, shushing him and cooing at him in the gentlest voice she could muster until she felt his hands go limp and heard a soft snore coming from the huddled man beside her legs.

Alice gingerly eased her legs away from him and quickly left the room, the sound of the washer buzzing making her jump in surprise. She sighed softly and walked down the hallway to the laundry room, she opened the washer's lid and opened the lid of the dryer and transferred Brahms' clean, wet clothes to the dryer. She tossed in a few more dryer sheets than she needed, knowing it would only help the stale smell of his clothes, and turned it on after shutting the door. She leaned her back against it and took a deep breath, her heart still pounding from what had happened in the room just half an hour prior. What was it that set him off? She began to blame herself, but no, it was through no fault of her own, Brahms was simply a lunatic with no impulse control. She ground her teeth together in aggravation, if he tried to corner her like that again, she'd do her best to fight him.  _Now..where did Brahms put those knives?_

Brahms awoke slowly and yawned, stretching his back a little. His eyebrows furrowed when he looked up and didn't see Alice sitting on the couch, he stood and looked around, "Alice?" He called gently. _She's cross with me. It's all my fault. If I could just control myself I wouldn't hurt her, but I haven't hurt her yet..have I?_ He wandered through the first floor of the house calling for her, looking for Alice and found her in the music room, sitting down on the floor by the gramophone humming to herself. "Alice?" He asked, his hands held behind his back. 

Alice had heard him call for her the moment he got up, she used that small window of time to prepare herself, to push aside all fear she felt. She had to be brave if she wanted to get away from him. It would be a long journey, but she had to do it, because the alternative was nothing but a nightmare. "Yes, Brahms?" She asked, casting her glance his way, her expression giving nothing away.

"Are you still cross with me?" Brahms asked quickly, he hadn't meant to ask her it yet but the suspense was killing him. "Please, if there's anything I can do to make it right-"

"I told you, it's alright, Brahms. You're forgiven. Just get yourself into the tub, alright?" Alice asked, though it sounded more like an order. She turned her gaze from him.

Brahms could feel the anger in her gaze, it would be a while before she forgave him for losing himself in such a way and turning on her. _I'll behave. I'll be the best good boy there ever was!_ He told himself. He nodded in response to her command, "Ok, Alice..but, could you show me how?" He whispered the last part, embarrassment overwhelming him.

Alice looked over at him and her gaze softened, if but for a moment. She nodded and followed him up the stairs to her bedroom, he walked into her bathroom and turned towards her, his hands clasped in front of him and his gaze shifted downwards. She stepped past him and opened the shower curtain, she grabbed the shower knob and pulled it forward and to the left a little, letting the water heat up. "Is this warm enough?" 

Brahms reached out his hand to the stream of water and nodded, he slowly dropped his boxers and stepped into the shower, squirming a little uncomfortably at the sudden sensation of the water jets on his skin. 

"Okay, let me know when you're done and I'll bring you some clothes." Alice turned to leave, but the soft whimper Brahms made, made her turn her head. Brahms cast an almost pathetic look her way, trying desperately not to look her in the eye, because he knew if she looked into his eyes she would see the embarrassment he felt, and she would know the truth that he had never bathed himself before. She sighed softly and pointed to the small blue loofah hanging from the shower knob, "Hand me that." Brahms reached over and handed her the loofah and she grabbed her pomegranate body wash from the bottom shower shelf and squeezed the pink gel onto the loofah. She scrubbed it between her fingers and motioned for Brahms to stand facing her. She slowly scrubbed circles around his chest and stomach, working away what was probably years of dirt and oil. Alice snuck a glance at his face and their eyes met, her hardened expression softened considerably and she offered him a sad smile, which he returned coupled with the relaxation of his shoulders. 

Alice had Brahms turn around and scrubbed at his back, having to stand on her tiptoes to reach his neck, she hissed in annoyance when the front of her shirt got soaked. "Oh damn it." She growled and put down the loofah, drawing her tank top over her head and dropping her shorts, leaving her in just her panties and bra. She grabbed the loofah and got into the shower behind him.

"Alice-" Brahms began, heat rising up his neck.

"Shh." Alice whispered and had him face her while the water beat at his back, she took his left hand and began to scrub up his arm and under it.

Brahms watched Alice with soft eyes, his heart aching that he had hurt her in such a way, no matter how many times she told him that it was okay, he knew it wasn't, he had terrified her, and that was never okay. But why did it feel so good to have her submit to him in such a way? He tried to beat that side of himself bloody, keep it in the dark, locked up and caged to never see the light of day; if he had it his way, that side of him would never make an appearance and it would always be smiles and laughter with Alice. _I just have to try harder, I have to work on this, I will be a good boy-_ no _, I'll be_ the good man _she needs in her life._ He reached out his right hand, slowly cupping the left side of her face, working slow circles into the skin of her cheek bone, then slowly trailing down his thumb to glide across her lower lip. He felt his heart flutter and his chest rose and fell quickly, near panting being so close to her. Alice slowly lifted her gaze, a flash of fear crossing her blue eyes for the smallest moment, Brahms smiled softly and leaned forward, pressing his lips to her forehead gently. "Thank you.." He breathed against her skin.

Alice nodded, "You're welcome." She said in a soft voice and leaned down, washing his legs and feet. "Lift." She told him gently, he lifted his left foot and placed his right hand on her shoulder for stability as she cleaned in between the toes of his left foot and washed the sole, earning an array of giggles from Brahms. Alice chuckled, "Sorry.." She set his foot down and repeated the action with his right foot. She handed him the loofah and squeezed more gel onto it, "Here, you do..that bit." She motioned to his length and his backside. She looked away to give him some privacy, though it mattered little being only a foot away from him. 

After a moment, Brahms cleared his throat and Alice nodded, taking the loofah from him and rinsing it off under the stream of water before she hung it up in its proper place. "Okay..now for the hard part." Alice huffed and looked up at Brahms, "I'm gonna need you to sit down." She sat down on the edge of the tub and motioned for Brahms to sit down near her. Brahms got down onto his knees awkwardly and sat down, drawing his knees up to his chest in the tub that was far too small for him to stretch out very far. 

Alice grabbed her rose scented shampoo and squirted a good portion into her hands, gently working it into his brown matted locks. Brahms hissed in response, no doubt from the tugging of his hair. "I'm sorry." Alice whispered and he looked up at her, giving her a weak smile, this was certainly out of his comfort zone, but he pushed through regardless. She leaned over to her toiletry bag on the back of the toilet and fished out her comb, she eased it through his hair, gently working out the many tangles in his hair, every single one she snagged, Brahms would let out a wince. After working through all of his tangles, she leaned close and began to scrub his scalp, working through god only knows how many years of dead skin cells. Part of her was sufficiently grossed out, but some small part of her couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor man. He had been left to fend for himself for twenty years, forced into isolation at the age of eight; even psychiatric and juvenile facilities would see to it that he was properly bathed and taken care of, given the proper building blocks to be able to look after himself, his parents hadn't even given him that. 

"Okay, tilt your head back." Alice instructed and Brahms did as he was bid, she cupped water from the shower head and poured it over his soapy locks, washing it all away before repeating the process with conditioner. After all the conditioner was gone from his hair, she grabbed a washcloth and lathered it up with a small amount of soap, "Close your eyes." She whispered and gently began to wash his face and beard, scrubbing away remnants of dried oil and sweat. She cupped water in her hands and washed away the suds from his face and beard and turned off the water, grabbing a towel from the rack just across from her.

Brahms stood and took the towel from Alice, drying his hair and then his body, admiring how fresh and clean his skin looked. He smiled at her and after noticing the all too obvious way Alice was avoiding looking at him, he quickly wrapped the towel around his hips. "That wasn't so bad.."

"See? Brahms, in life, you'll find that there are things you don't want to do, but once you do them, you see that they aren't as bad as you thought. Like roller coasters." 

"Roller coasters?"

"Oh jeez. Yeah. Um. Have your parents ever taken you to a carnival? Or a theme park?"

Brahms nodded. "When I was maybe seven."

"Well, roller coasters are those really big steel rides with the loops and the twists and turns, and everyone always screams?"

"Oh! Yeah, I know those. Mummy and Daddy wouldn't let me ride them." Brahms frowned.

Alice chuckled, "Well I should hope not, you were too little." She looked up at Brahms' face and squinted her eyes, "Hmm.."

Brahms raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"Did your Daddy own a pair of hair clippers?"

Brahms' confused expression didn't change. 

"Ah. Thought not. Okay, well we'll have to do this the hard way. Where's a pair of scissors?" Alice asked, resting a hand on her hip.

Brahms' eyes narrowed and he ground his teeth in warning, Alice raised her hands in defense, "I just need them to trim your hair and your beard." She said, but Brahms' hard expression didn't change. Alice sighed and thought for a moment, "Have you ever heard of a pinkie promise?" Brahms shook his head. "It's bigger than a regular promise, it's a promise you can't ever break. Ever." 

Brahms' eyes narrowed even more and he looked away in thought, "Why do they call it a "pinkie promise"?"

"Hold out your pinkie." Alice held out her right pink, keeping the other fingers of her right hand curled.

Brahms copied the motion and Alice wrapped her pinkie around his, "Brahms. I pinkie promise I won't hurt you with the scissors. See? Like that."

Brahms slowly pulled her hand closer to him until their joined hands were pressed against his heart, "Pinkie promise you won't hurt me. _Ever_." He whispered, his voice quivering as he looked up at her.

Alice took a step back, her eyebrows furrowed, Brahms had never looked at her like that, it seemed as if he were some lost child, begging for help, and she couldn't deny that in a way, he _was_. _It's a promise I'll end up breaking._ "I pinkie promise I won't ever hurt you, Brahms."

Brahms' shoulders relaxed and a smile grew on his face, "Okay. There's scissors in Mummy's craft room." He pointed down the hall.

Alice withdrew her hand and left her bathroom and the bedroom, walking down the hall to the craft room on the right at the end of the hall. She opened the door and stepped inside, feeling the wall to the left for the light switch. The light flickered on and she groaned at the smell of stale air, clearly Mrs. Heelshire hadn't used this room in some time, looking around she saw a thin layer of dust on everything. She walked over to the crafting table and checked the drawers, finally finding a pair of cloth scissors in the second drawer, these would have to do. 

Alice stepped back into her room and entered the bathroom, thankful that Brahms had stayed in his place rather than popping up in some unsuspected place to spook her. She knelt down on her knees and grabbed her comb, "Just trust me, okay?" She asked softly. 

Brahms nodded with a small smile, "I trust you." 

Alice took a deep breath, she had never cut anyone's hair before, but she was sure she could do a decent job, anything was better than the shagginess he now possessed. She gently took a few locks of his hair between her fingers that was in front of his eyes and snipped close to her fingers like she had seen the stylists do when they cut her hair. Brahms watched her silently as she cut his hair, he could tell from the look on her face she was taking great care with him to do a good job, and his heart swelled. He felt a strange ache in his chest, unlike he had never felt before, it was like a strange pull he felt, pulling him towards Alice, and he couldn't help but yield to it. Alice's nose scrunched up a little and the tip of her tongue stuck out the right side of her mouth as she trimmed his hair and all he could do was watch her with a smile, admiring every little bit of her face and its adorable quirks. He inhaled deeply through his nose and he fought back the urge to reach forward and kiss her, ever since that day he had worked up the courage to kiss her, it was nearly the only thing that occupied his mind; he missed how her lips felt on his, how soft they were, and the unforgettable honey sweetness of her tongue pressed to his. 

Alice sat back for a moment, her eyes narrowing as she regarded him, taking in what he looked like with his new haircut, it was only a little off the top but it still looked much better. "Do you want a beard?" She asked suddenly, she had to wonder, was it something he merely put up with and only trimmed when it got to be too long? Obviously he had looked after it himself as it was quite uneven, had his father never taught him how to shave?

Brahms thought for a moment, he blushed and shook his head, in truth he couldn't stand it. He didn't mind it when it was short, but as he had gotten older it got more and more out of control and he had mostly given up, only hacking away at it when he finally got too frustrated with it. "No." He answered softly. 

"I think you'll look better without it." Alice shrugged her shoulders and leaned close to him, "Don't move, ok?". Brahms nodded. Alice leaned in and pressed the scissors against his face, gently trimming his beard as close as she could get with the scissors. After a while of working around his face, the lower half of his face really came into view and she couldn't deny that he was incredibly handsome under all the fur. She set the scissors down and leaned over to grab her razor and shaving cream, she squirted the shaving cream into her hands and worked them into a lather, gently smoothing the thick foam over his face. She giggled when it went over his lips and she used her pinkie to wipe it from his lips. "I've never done this on a face, so bear with me." She turned on the sink and got the razor wet and gently slid the razor against his cheek, revealing the soft skin beneath it. Brahms puffed up his face and crossed his eyes at her and she chuckled, playfully smacking him on the shoulder, "Behave." She teased and continued shaving his face.

Brahms held his breath nearly the whole time, watching her with intrigue. With ever pass of the razor, a lightness seemed to fill Alice's eyes more, had he really looked so bad? He had seen himself very few times in mirrors and he had to admit he had looked very shabby, he couldn't even remember what he had looked like without his beard, or his mask for that matter. When Alice finished, she turned off the sink and wet a washcloth, gently wiping off his face. She brushed the back of her fingers against his cheek and smiled, "Feels pretty close to me. Go on, have a look." Alice stood and stepped aside.

Brahms took a deep breath and stood, stepping over to the mirror. His eyes first took in his stomach, right where his wound was, and he forced himself to look away, nervous eyes slowly trailing upwards until they finally rested on his face. His mouth parted slightly and he looked in shock at himself, he looked like a completely different person. He had his mother's delicate features sure enough, but something of his brow and jaw line reminded him very much of his father, giving him a very masculine look. He swallowed nervously as his eyes looked to the burned portion of his face and he felt his insides twist, no matter what Alice did, she couldn't get rid of his scars, they would be there forever to remind him of that miserable day that was his eighth birthday party. He forced himself to look away before he smashed the mirror, and he looked to Alice, happiness rising up inside him. 

Brahms drew Alice close to him and pressed a small kiss to her forehead, a silent thank you, it took him all the strength he had in his body to pull himself away, to stop right there and not kiss her beautiful lips. Alice smiled and patted his shoulder, "You're welcome." She pulled away and cleared her throat, "So um, all your clothes are in the dryer, they should be done by now. Go on and get dressed and I'll meet you downstairs, okay?" Brahms nodded with a smile and left the room, his hand holding the towel around his hips.  

Alice closed the bathroom door behind her and slid out of her wet bra and panties and put on her tank top. She opened the bathroom door a little to see if Brahms had gone, after finding her bedroom empty, she stepped into it and grabbed a pair of yoga pants from her dresser and slid them on. She let her hair loose and tied it up once more as quite a few locks had come loose, and made her way down the stairs. 

Brahms dropped his towel in the laundry room and bent down to reach into the dryer, pulling out a black shirt, his favorite green cardigan, and grey trousers. He pressed the clothes to his nose and inhaled deeply, savoring the wonderful perfume they now possessed, his clothes hadn't smelled that good in a long time. When Alice came down the stairs, he walked down the hallway and smiled over at her, "Hi." He waved shyly, his hands held behind his back.

Alice smiled, "Very nice." She said with a nod. "Ready for lunch?" She didn't wait for him to answer and walked into the kitchen.

Brahms jogged to catch up with her, his still damp curls bouncing as he jogged. He walked up behind Alice and took her uninjured wrist in his hand gently, he wrapped his pinkie finger around hers, "I pinkie promise that I'll be the best boyfriend in the world."


	10. Just Like Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Injury/violence

Alice balked at his words and quickly withdrew her hand from his, "Brahms..y-" She took a deep breath in through her nose, "You're not my boyfriend." She said firmly. "I'm sorry if I somehow made you think we were together but we're not, if anything we're-" She thought for a moment and as much as it pained her, she forced out the word: "Friends."

Brahms' eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he stepped closer, "But Alice..we _kissed_!" His eyes widened, "In the movies, when a man wants to be a woman's boyfriend, he kisses her, and then they're together." He said incredulously, as if Alice were the confused one in this scenario.

Alice sighed and hung her head a little, "But I didn't kiss you _back_ , Brahms, and movies aren't real. In real life, if you want to be with someone, you have to ask them and they have to say yes." She lifted her head and looked up at him, "Please tell me you understand."

Brahms thought for a moment and smiled, taking her hands in his, "Then, will you be my girlfriend, pretty Alice?" He said in a soft voice, his eyes shining with hope, his fingers gently rubbing the backs of her hands.

Alice slowly withdrew her hands from his grasp, "I can't, Brahms. I'm sorry, I..I just can't." She whispered, refusing to look into his eyes.

Brahms stepped forward until their bodies were nearly touching, his chest heaving, "Look at me." He commanded roughly, the boom of his voice nearly echoing from the walls. When Alice finally lifted her head, he took her right hand in his, wrapping his pinkie around hers almost painfully. "You pinkie promised you'd never hurt me, Alice. You're hurting me." He whispered the last part, giving her one last chance to change her mind.

Alice could see the darkness in his eyes and she frantically searched for the words she could tell him to help him understand, but she knew there was no way, at the end of the day he had the disposition of a spoiled brat with the temper of a deranged man. "No,  _I'm not_ , Brahms. I mean, it might hurt right now, but..I.." She sighed, "Why do you want to be with me anyways?"

Brahms' expression softened for a moment, "Because I love you, and I want you to be mine. You came here to care for me, don't you want to Alice? Don't you want to love me? I can care for you too, if you'd let me." He implored, his right hand smoothing the left side of her cheek. 

Alice growled in frustration, unable to take it anymore. "But I don't _love_ you, Brahms, and I _never_ will! How could I? You're holding me prisoner!" She looked up at him, rage simmering within the deepest recesses of her soul. She saw something snap behind the blacks of his eyes and her heart nearly stopped, his expression fell flat and he clenched his teeth before wrenching his left hand to the side still holding her pinkie in his, forcing her pinkie to dislocate to the side. Alice screamed in pain and tore herself away from him, cradling her hand as she looked down at the sickening sight of her dislocated pinkie, searing pain pulsing through the digit with every beat of her heart. 

"You pinkie promised me, Alice. Next time, I'll _take_  the finger. You'll come to love me. Mummy always said love takes time, well, we have forever, Alice." Brahms stepped over to her, cornering her against the kitchen counter, his chest heaving as he looked down at her cowering in front of him. He leaned forward to her face, his tongue sliding from between his teeth to press against her cheek, softly groaning as he slid his tongue upward to gather her tears. "Now. I'll ask once more. Will you be my girlfriend, Alice? Don't make me ask you a third time." He pulled away slightly to gauge her reaction.

Alice bit her lower lip to stop it from trembling and sniffled, looking up at him with tear filled eyes, she slowly nodded and it was that moment she knew there would be no getting out of here. He was always watching, always there, his anger always built up to the point where the smallest slight would send him off the edge. _I can't escape, he'll kill me before I get the chance._ She hung her head and let out a soft sob, covering her face with her uninjured left hand, trying to hide her state of distress from Brahms. 

Brahms' eyes softened, "Don't cry, pretty Alice." He moved her hand aside and wiped her tears away with his thumb. "Give me your hand." 

Alice looked up at him in panic, she looked down at her dislocated pinkie finger and gulped down a large lump in her throat before she slowly held it out to him. 

Brahms took hold of her hand with one hand, and gripped the dislocated digit with his other, without even giving her a warning he snapped it back into place, causing a shriek of pain from Alice. As she slumped against the kitchen counter, cradling her hand, he stepped over to the freezer and pulled out an ice cube tray. Silently, he moved past Alice to grab a dish cloth from one of the kitchen drawers and emptied a few cubes of ice into it. He wrapped up the ice cubes and stepped over to Alice, holding out his hand patiently. When Alice laid her right hand in his, he placed the ice onto her pinkie, "Keep that on there for ten minutes." He leaned forward to Alice and she shied away at first but held still, allowing Brahms to press a kiss to her cheek. "I'll make lunch."

"Thank you." Alice whispered, her voice hoarse, her throat felt as if it were on fire from the countless screams and sobs she had made in just the past few days. She held her hand close to her chest, keeping the ice pack pressed tight to her finger, thankful for the numbing sensation that the ice was providing. At least it wasn't a break this time, she thought to herself. She looked over at Brahms, watching as he busied himself in the kitchen, grabbing a loaf of bread from the bread box and pulling out various lunch meats from the fridge.

"Ham or turkey?" Brahms asked in his high pitched voice, all anger and darkness wiped clean from his demeanor. 

"Um.." Alice cleared her itchy throat, "Ham, please." She answered and looked down at the floor nervously before she asked, "Could you make me some green tea with ginger and honey?" She whispered, both from trying to not strain her voice as well from fear.

Brahms smiled, "Of course." He grabbed the tea kettle and filled it with water from the tap and tossed in two bags of the green tea Brian had brought over. He placed the kettle onto the stove and turned it on before going back to his sandwich making. 

Alice slowly eased herself out of the room, her body relaxing instantly once she was out of Brahms' sight. She stepped into the living room and sat down on the couch, tucking her feet up under her as she mentally tried to calm herself. Her nerves were on fire, and she knew being without her medication, her mental condition would only continue to worsen. She struggled through another dizzy spell and grabbed the side of the couch for stability, though she knew she wasn't moving, it sure felt like it.

Brahms stepped into the living room with two sandwiches in one hand, and a cup of tea in the other. "I made it with extra honey, just like you like it." He said with a smile as he handed the cup to her. He handed her her sandwich and sat down beside her on the couch, quietly taking bites out of his food, he couldn't believe food tasted so good when it was warm and fresh.

Alice carefully sipped the hot tea and sighed in relief when she felt the hot liquid beginning to soothe her throat. She would take her pleasures when she could, no matter how small, it was the only thing keeping her sane right now.

"Does your throat feel better?" Brahms asked after swallowing yet another bite of his sandwich, his sandwich nearly gone already.

Alice nodded softly, keeping her eyes ahead of her, trained on the fireplace just across from them. "It's been years since I've had a fire." She mused quietly, taking another sip of her tea. The silence was painful, it was deafening, when it was silent she never knew what Brahms was thinking, at least when there was conversation she could gauge his mental state and mood. 

"When was the last time?" Brahms finished his sandwich and swiped the crumbs off of his cardigan onto the floor. He crossed his legs on the couch and turned to face her, his hands resting on his knees as he watched her, he wondered how beautiful she would look with flames casting shadows across her face. 

Alice paused, "Um..I think maybe I was fourteen?" She took a long sip of her tea, "My dad would always light one on Christmas night after we finished dinner, we'd sit around it and play dominos or card games. It was my favorite part about Christmas." She carefully looked over at Brahms, "What about you? What did your family do for Christmas?"

Brahms felt his heart ache, Christmas had always been one of his favorite holidays, but after his eighth birthday, he had been confined in the walls, forced to watch his parents celebrate Christmas with the family and that damn  _doll._ He'd watch with an empty belly as everyone dined at the dining room table that was covered in delicious sides and succulent perfectly cooked meats, and then, the biggest hurt of it all, watching his mother open _his_ presents for the _doll_. He sighed and remained quiet. 

Alice winced, "Sorry.." She whispered and finished her tea. She looked at the sandwich on her lap and felt her stomach turn, suddenly she wasn't so hungry anymore. She set it down on the coffee table with her empty cup and grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and slung it over her lap, trembling a little as a chill hit her. 

An idea struck Brahms. "Don't go anywhere." He warned and disappeared from the room.

Alice nodded quietly and took the ice pack off of her hand, setting it on the table. She looked at her right hand and frowned _, A fractured radius and a dislocated pinkie, what more does he plan on doing with me?_ She thought to herself. She had seen that dark look in his eyes far too often, and she couldn't help but wonder what would be worse, the physical pain of his heavy hand, or the psychological damage that would follow if he gave into his urges and took what he wanted of her. The thought made her shiver and she huddled her knees close to her chest on the couch, snuggling under the blanket. _I have to find a way out somehow. There has to be a way. Maybe he'll trust me enough to go into town one day and I can run to the police and tell them he's been holding me captive, or maybe I'll find where he stashed those knives and while he's sleeping I'll cut his throat._ Just the thought of escape was thrilling, she couldn't continue this charade forever, she had to get out somehow.

Brahms stepped back into the room, two wooden logs under his arms and fresh sweat on his brow. It had taken him quite a few tries to chop the wood Daddy had stored behind the house, his first few strikes had missed completely and one nearly got his foot, but he had done it, he did it for her. He knelt down to the fireplace and placed the wood into it, he grabbed a small bundle of newspaper from beside the fireplace and grabbed a long kitchen match from the container beside it that Daddy kept especially for lighting the fireplace. He bunched up the newspaper and tossed it on top and in between the logs and struck the match against the brick of the fireplace. He reached the lit match forward until the newspaper caught fire, his heart racing for a moment when memories began to flood his mind, but he fought against them desperately until they receded. He blew out the match and walked over to the couch, this time sitting as close as he could to Alice, he looked over at her with a smile, his chest still heaving from the physical excursion from chopping wood.

Alice looked at the fireplace and then back at Brahms, her eyebrows furrowed, how could he do such kind things once moment and then torture her the next? She wouldn't be swayed by his kindness, she refused, it was nothing more than a ploy to earn her affections, but she wouldn't be so easily bought.  _He can't have me, he must know it, why doesn't he just give up?_  Then an idea wiggled its way into her mind, she hid a smile, if Brahms had chopped the wood himself, that meant there was an axe nearby. Sure, she would play his game his way if it meant she'd keep her fingers, but the moment that an opportunity presented itself, she'd strike. "Thank you." She stated simply.

Brahms' eyes shined and he smiled, "You're welcome. I noticed you were cold and..well you said you hadn't had a fire in a while.." He said embarrassedly, scratching the back of his neck. 

Alice stood up from the couch and took her cup into the kitchen, pouring more tea with honey into her mug before stepping back into the living room. She set her mug near the fire and grabbed the blanket from the couch, walking over to the fireplace to sit down, draping the blanket over her shoulders. She looked into the fire, watching as the well seasoned wood began to catch fire, its ends glowing red while the flames danced in front of her. She closed her eyes and soaked up the warmth, the very feeling of the warm glow of fire sent her right back to those Christmas nights with her family, how she missed them. Her sister would always cheat when playing cards, always swiping cards from the pile, but every time, mum would notice and give her hand a pop; and her brother, she had always been closer to him, they had been like two peas in a pod until he began to grow up and hanging out with his little sister wasn't considered "cool" anymore. She sighed softly and reached out her right hand, the heat from the fire melting the cold numbness from her injured pinkie, she yelped in surprise when Brahms wrenched her hand away. "What?" She looked up at him, confused.

Brahms examined her hand and then let it go, "Be careful, Alice. I don't want you to get burned." He said in a panic, his eyes glazed over in fear.

Alice watched him with fascination, she had never seen him show such fear before, worry yes, but pure terror? Not once, until now.  _So that's your weakness_ , she thought. She held out her hand to him, he took it and she tugged gently, urging him forward. Brahms slowly crawled on his knees to her side and sat down, crossing his legs. He cast a worried glance to the fire, then looked back at her, his heart pounding wildly. "It's safe, Brahms." She took his hand and gently urged it towards the fire, allowing him to feel the warmth without it touching him. She let his hand go and took a sip of her tea, "Do you know anything about wildfires, Brahms?"

Brahms slowly withdrew his hand from near the fire, looking down at it for any sign of injury, but there were none. He looked over at Alice and shook his head, "No."

"Fire can be a wonderful thing sometimes, like any element on earth. What do you think of when you think of air?"

"The wind?"

"Yes, and it feels wonderful through your hair on a spring day, but it can become a tornado. What about water, and earth? What do you think when you see them?"

"Rain, and..soil?" Brahms asked in his child's voice, and raised an eyebrow, unsure of where she was going with this.

Alice nodded, "Rains can replenish dry fields and bring life, but it can also flood people's homes. The earth we walk on is beautiful, lush and green, but without warning it can crack, swallow up whole buildings. Fire is no different. It can devastate people's lives and their homes, but it's no different than any other element, it also brings life and beauty. There are forests that thrive with fire, it burns all the dried and dead plants, and opens up pine cones so that the seeds can grow in the ground, by the time spring comes, everything is beautiful and green again. This fire won't hurt you, because it's contained, once it spreads, then it becomes a hazard, but right now? Its only job is to make us warm, and it does." She said with a shrug.

Brahms watched her closely, he swallowed nervously and took her hand, running his fingers across her knuckles, making sure to avoid her pinkie. "You see the world in such a beautiful way, Alice.."

"How do _you_ see it, Brahms?"

"I don't know. I've..never been out in it long enough to know. All I have is the ability to see through the eyes of poets and great authors of our time, but never with my own." Brahms said in his lower voice, his tone somber. 

"Why don't you go outside?" Alice asked, taking a long sip of her tea, wincing when the pain began to return in her pinkie finger.

Brahms shook his head, "No." He said simply.

"But-"

"I said, NO." Brahms growled, scooting away from her a little, drawing his knees up to his chest and resting his chin on them. He huffed in annoyance, _why does she have to ask so many questions? Why can't she just mind her own business sometimes?_ He thought to himself, pouting.

Alice rolled her eyes and gazed back at the fire, _so much for making progress_. "You know, it's a shame. I _pity_ you, Brahms. You'll never know what the world is like, what it's like to have a real friend, to love, to truly experience what life can offer you." 

Brahms remained quiet, his eyebrows furrowing, "But..you said _you_ were my friend. I'm your boyfriend and I love you. My world has all it needs."

Alice sighed, "There's a difference between loving someone and being in love with them, a very big difference. It's easy to love, and all the more difficult to fall in love." She shook her head, "Why do you think they call it falling in love, Brahms?" She asked, and he shook his head. "You're trusting someone absolutely with the most vulnerable parts of you, all of the good and the terrible, you're trusting them to be there for you and to catch you." She took a deep breath through her nose, "When they don't catch you, it's the worst pain you'll ever feel in your life. Love can be beautiful, but it can also destroy your world, just like fire.." She whispered as she gazed into the dancing flames.

Brahms watched Alice intently, his heart fluttering, so what he felt was only love? He already lost sleep over Alice, she plagued his every thought and it was infuriating having her in every corner of his mind, he could only imagine just how badly she would occupy his mind when he finally fell for her. He scooted closer to her on the carpet, his left knee bumping against hers. "How will I know?" He whispered in his childlike voice.

Alice chuckled softly and rolled her eyes, "You'll know." She drew her knees to her chest and crossed her arms over them, her eyebrows furrowing as memories began to flood her mind.

Brahms swallowed nervously, the question he was terrified to ask tickled his tongue, urging him to speak it. "Have you ever been in love, Alice?" He asked quietly, leaning forward as he watched a look of pain cross over her face, one like he had ever seen before. When she remained quiet, he sighed and reached out his left hand, gently touching her shoulder, "Tell me?"

Alice let out a sigh and shrugged his hand away, she took a long sip from her mug of tea and set it down, wondering where she could possibly begin. "I was in ninth grade when I met him. I was in my maths class, I was the only freshman there and I didn't know anyone. I sat at the back and I was pulling out my pen and notebook when I heard this laugh. It was the most beautiful laugh I'd ever heard, when I looked up I saw this jock, he wasn't much to look at really, but just his air of being was beautiful, the way he walked, his voice and his smile. I couldn't keep my eyes off of him, he sat two rows beside me and I'd catch myself watching him the whole period. I knew from that moment on I was fucked." Brahms' eyes widened a little at her use of a curse word. "I finally got up the courage to talk to him one day, I could hardly breathe and my face went red, I completely embarrassed myself trying to strike up an interesting conversation with him, but despite me being a huge nerd with very little in common with him, he talked to me. I had my friends find out what classes he took and I had a special route I'd take to my classes so I could see him, just for a little while longer. One day I got his phone number from a friend and I texted him, then one night I got a text back saying I was ugly and fat and that he didn't want anything to do with me. I cried for hours." Alice leaned back a little and cleared her throat, "I would find out months later that it was his girlfriend who had sent the text, but the damage was done, I couldn't face him after that. Then, a couple years after school ended, I got a message from him, he wanted to hang out at this local coffee shop. Thankfully, after high school had ended, I had grown into my body and learned how to dress myself better and use makeup, he almost didn't recognize me when he saw me. We talked for hours and I didn't feel the pressure I had felt in high school, there were no cliques anymore, no popular girls to impress, we were all just the same really. While we talked I realized that my love for him hadn't ended, and I thought maybe, just maybe this could be the great love of my life. I didn't hear from him for months after that and it broke my heart, I thought we had really made a connection, but just as I was getting over it, he contacted me again." Alice felt her cheeks grow pink, "Not sure if I should tell you this part or not.."

Brahms felt his heart ache, knowing she hurt made him hurt, and he couldn't deny the curiosity he felt. "You can tell me." He urged, giving her knee a squeeze for a moment.

Alice swallowed a lump in her throat, "Well, he wanted to hang out again and so I went to his house, it was probably around midnight, he had had a party so there was a bunch of alcohol still lying around. We drank together and I ended up flirting with him, and to my surprise he started to flirt with me too, I couldn't believe it really. The popular guy that I had yearned for for years was finally noticing me in the way I wanted. We um-" Alice paused as she blushed once more, "We slept together and I just felt this..spark! It was like nothing I had ever felt before, I could hear the romantic music playing in my head every time he kissed me." She gave a sigh and rested her chin in the palm of her hand while her elbow sat on her leg, "For months we would hang out at his house and sleep together, always after midnight when his friends had left the house. I finally got up the courage to ask him if he wanted to be my boyfriend, but he said no. All the nights of cuddling and laughing together were just formalities, he only wanted the physical side, so I broke it off. If I couldn't be his, then I didn't want to settle for only having half of him. Months later I found out that the reason he always wanted to meet me so late and never invited me to his parties was because he was embarrassed of being with "that girl"." Alice fought back tears, "Like I said. When you're in love with someone and they don't love you back..it's the worst feeling you'll ever feel."

Brahms felt rage swarm his mind, how dare this fool refuse her love in such a way, how on earth could he possibly be embarrassed to be seen with Alice? It didn't add up in Brahms' mind. "I'll kill him." He growled, true, he felt envious and jealous of the man who got to sleep next to Alice and share her kisses, but the mere idea of Alice being in pain because of some lower class inbred fueled a fire deep within him.

Alice looked over at him with wide eyes, "Brahms, that's not an okay thing to say. You don't hurt people like that."

"But he _hurt_ you.."

Alice scoffed a little, "Does that mean that he has the right to come here and kill _you_?" She asked, holding up her injured wrist.

Brahms felt heat rise into his cheeks and he looked down in guilt, "I'm so-"

"I know. You're sorry. I know." Alice sighed and her temples in annoyance, he truly was just a spoiled child. Had he no idea of what the word consequence meant? She jumped in surprise when she heard a knock at the door, "Brahms-" She turned to look at him but he was already gone out of the room, his footsteps had been silent and she hadn't even heard him leave. She put the blanket onto the couch and walked down the hall to the front door, she opened it and smiled when she saw Brian standing there with two bags in his hands. "Brian! Hi!" 

Brian smiled, "Nice to see ya again, Miss Alice. I got the things ya said you'd be needin'." He motioned to his truck.

"Great, I'll help you." Alice went to step forward but Brian held up his hands.

"No tanks very much, Miss Alice, I don't want yer wrist gettin' any worse." Brian smiled and set the bags inside the house by Alice's feet, "Those'll be yer dvds an' cds, I'll go fetch the rest. Where will ya be wantin' 'em?"

Alice thought for a moment, "I guess the living room is as good a place as any." She shrugged and picked up the bags, "I'll leave the door open for you." She smiled and walked into the living room, looking into the bags to find all the movies and cds that she had requested. She set them down on the coffee table and waited as Brian walked into the house with a small boom box in one hand and a dvd player under the other arm. Brian set down everything on the coffee table and leaned back, cracking his back. 

"Please let me help you with the tv, it's the least I could do after all your hard work." Alice smiled, holding her hands in front of her.

Brian chuckled, "Well I s'pose I should take ya up on that offer, if my back goes out again, the missus won't be very happy, if ya get my meaning." He winked with a cackle and headed out the door to his truck.

Alice giggled and rolled her eyes playfully, following him out to his truck. He opened the boot and he grabbed one side of the tv while Alice grabbed the other, Brian paused and pointed at her pinkie finger, "Whoa there, what happened? Ya get stung by a bee?"

"Hm?" Alice looked down and her eyes widened a moment, she quickly thought up a lie. "Oh no, I had a fall and caught myself wrong. It's nothing to worry about, I've been icing it."

Brian made a "tsk" sound, "You poor dear, yer just gettin' beaten up all over the place here." He lifted his side of the flat screen while Alice lifted hers, making sure to hold the bulk of its weight on her uninjured hand. They scrambled up the stairs into the house, "Will you be needin' any help settin' it up, Miss Alice?"

"Oh no, I've got it covered, but thank you." Alice smiled and they sat the tv onto the mantle. She untangled the power cord from behind it and stepped over to the nearest outlet, thankful that the mantle was low so that the cord could reach. "Thank you so much for your help, Brian. Let me get my wallet-"

Brian chuckled, "Oh no, it's perfectly alright, Miss Alice, always happy to help. Take care, I'll be 'round tomorrow with the delivery." 

"Oh! Before I forget, could you please find me the number of a Doctor Wallace? I can't remember his number and I need to get in touch with him." Alice smiled. When Brian flashed a worried look, she raised her arm, "It's just about my carpal tunnel." She hated lying, but Brian was a very kind man, and the least he knew, the better.

"Ah, no worries Miss Alice, I'll be sure to get that for ya." Brian tipped his hat to her and left the room.

Alice gave him a wave and sighed softly when she heard the front door shut, his visits were always so short, she had forgotten just how nice it was to have any kind of conversation with anyone other than Brahms. Being stuck with the same person, not allowed to leave or have anyone over but Brian, it was beginning to do her head in, the cabin fever was almost maddening. Brahms' small voice tore her from her thoughts and she yelped in surprise, sending him a glare in annoyance when she turned to face him, it wasn't even worth chiding him at this point, he would always move like a shadow in the house, maybe one day his movements wouldn't make her jump anymore. "What did you say, Brahms?" She asked, she hadn't even heard his voice over her own yelp.

"I said, did he get everything?" Brahms held his hands behind his back as he stepped over to her.

"Yep. I've just gotta hook up this dvd player." Alice unraveled the cords from the dvd player and plugged them into the side of the and set it on the right side of the mantle, plugging it into the same outlet the tv's power cord was in. "Okay, that's it. We're ready to go." She took the two remotes and pushed the power buttons on them, clicking through the tutorials and setting up the display on the tv while Brahms could only watch in awe. 

Brahms took the dvds and cds from the bag and studied them, cracking them open to marvel at how small the discs were. He looked at the covers of the movies and felt his heartbeat quicken at the pictures on the covers of Titanic and The Notebook, both had a woman and a man in an intimate embrace, and he looked over at Alice with longing, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Can we watch Titanic first?" His childlike voice asked.

Alice kept her eyes on the screen as she finished the setup, "Mhm." She mumbled and turned around to face him, she took the Titanic case from him and popped out the disc, reaching up to slide it into the dvd player. She set the case and tv remote down and sat down on the couch, curling her feet underneath her. Brahms hopped onto the couch at the other end, his hands fidgeting excitedly in his lap. Alice looked over at him, taking note of the excitement on his face and fought back a laugh, she turned her attention to the tv and pushed the play button when prompted. She set down the remote and pulled the blanket over herself, at least now with a tv she could lose herself for a few hours, shove all thought of her current situation out of her mind and make believe she was somewhere different. 

As the movie began, Brahms grabbed her arm in alarm, "It's so pretty! I've only seen a few movies in color, but this.." He stared wide eyed at the screen.

"Brahms, shh. Pay attention to the movie." Alice waved him off and turned her attention back to the screen. Periodically through the movie, Alice would catch herself looking Brahms' way to watch his reaction to certain parts of the movie. He had jumped a little when Rose nearly fell off the ship and he bit his lip, his eyes wide with wonder. A part Alice loved was coming up not long after, where Jack gets all spiffed up in a new suit and kisses Rose's hand, she felt a lump gather in her throat and tears sting her eyes, she knew exactly what was going to happen in the movie and she knew she was going to lose it; she almost felt envious of Brahms, she'd have given anything to experience Titanic for the first time again.

As Jack kissed Rose's hand and she gave a giggle, Brahms looked over at Alice, his heart fluttering as he slowly reached out his hand and took hers, softly pressing his lips to her knuckles, careful of her pinkie. He watched Alice's eyes and found himself smiling, Alice gave a giggle and pulled her hand away, playfully swatting at his hand. "Watch the movie." She teased.

As the movie played on, Alice noticed that Brahms had steadily moved closer and closer to her on the couch until his thigh was pressed against hers. She felt a blush cross her cheeks and she forced her attention away. Her favorite part of the film was coming and she stole a glance at Brahms, watching as his eyes widened and his mouth dropped when Rose took off her robe. Alice watched him gulp and his hands tugged nervously at the frays of his cardigan, his eyes never missing a moment.

Brahms couldn't believe such a thing was allowed on tv, things certainly had changed from the films he had grown up watching. He chewed his lower lip nervously and watched as Rose lay on the couch, her naked body in full view, he couldn't blame Jack for being flustered, he would have as well if he had been only feet away from Alice while she was naked. He had seen Alice naked from holes in the walls, but those only offered a very small blurred view, never as clear as this. He couldn't help but feel his heart ache over the pure intimacy of the scene, so this is what being in love was, being in love was allowing yourself to be exposed to the other in every way a person can be. A tear began to roll down Brahms' right cheek and he touched it, bringing his finger close to inspect it as his eyebrows furrowed, he couldn't remember the last time he had cried. He looked over at Alice and her eyes were full of tears, but none fell, almost as if she were fighting them, pleading with them not to fall. She sat scrunched up under her blanket, softly sniffling and wiping at her cheeks before any tears could roll down. He smiled to himself, perhaps he should draw her like Jack drew Rose, Mummy always said he had tremendous talent; living in the walls, there hadn't been much to do other than watch, drawing had been a wonderful escape for him, it was one of the few things he had a natural aptitude for. _I wonder if she'd let me draw her like this..would she say no? Would she want to wait until she fell in love with me..if she ever does?_ The thought made his heart hurt, he knew the road to making her love him would be a long one, but he wanted it more than anything. 

Alice wiped at her eyes and huffed in annoyance, annoyed that still even after all these years this movie still got her, even more so than when she had been a kid because she knew the feeling of love and loss, and she couldn't help but feel bitter for never having had someone fall in love with her for a chance. The scene where Jack and Rose flee through the ship and hop into the car made Alice's cheeks turn pink, would Brahms know what they were doing? And exactly how much did he know about sex? She couldn't imagine his parents giving him "the talk", so she knew his ideas on the birds and the bees must be very skewed. 

Brahms leaned forward, his chest heaving as he watched Jack and Rose together, why were the windows steaming up like that? Why was Jack trembling? "Alice? W-What were they doing?" He asked innocently.

"They slept together." Alice said softly, avoiding his gaze.

"Oh." Brahms stayed quiet for a minute, then whispered in a confused tone, "They're out of breath from sleeping in a car?"

Alice snickered, "Um. No. Sleeping together is just another name for making love, it's something couples in love do."

"What do they do?" Brahms leaned in close, an eyebrow arched.

Alice's face turned bright pink, "Um.." She cleared her throat, "A lot of different things. Um. Like..what happened in the hallway the other day."

"I thought only Mommies and Daddies did that? So, if we're in love we can do it?"

 _Oh shit._ Alice mentally slapped her forehead, "Well. Anyone can do it. It's just not.. _right_..to do it unless you're a Mommy or a Daddy." She said, trying her best to not give him any ideas, the more she could drive it into his head that his actions weren't acceptable, the better. She didn't need him cornering her again like he had earlier in the laundry room. "Do you understand?"

"I think so." Brahms answered, but in truth he didn't understand why he couldn't do those things with Alice again, how was it not right? Alice had said that before doing something like that he had to ask, if he asked would it still be bad? He pushed those questions to the back of his mind for now, he'd get her to explain it to him further later. He turned his attention back to the screen.

As Rose lay in bed, passing away in her sleep, Alice let out a shriek, sobbing into her blanket. Brahms jumped in surprise and touched her shoulder, "Alice?" He asked gently, pausing in confusion when she cuddled into his chest. "It's alright." He whispered and rubbed her back. He held her close to him, his heart racing just because she was near him, he watched Rose unite with Jack and he felt wetness on his cheeks once more, this time in abundance. He wiped at his cheeks and looked at his hands in confusion, it had been so long since he cried this much, he had forgotten what it even felt like. He rubbed Alice's back, "Alice. It's over." He whispered gently, but no answer came from Alice, only a soft snore. Brahms smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead before gently removing himself from the couch, slowly laying her down on the couch. He adjusted the blanket on her and lifted her head to place a throw pillow under it, surprised at how deeply she was sleeping. An idea struck.

Brahms hurried out of the room and went to his room in the walls, he stepped over to his crafting table and grabbed a pad of sketch paper and one of his pencils and rushed back. He stepped into the living room and smiled when he found she was still asleep, he moved a couple locks of her hair away from her face and moved the blanket down slightly to reveal her arm, when he was satisfied with her pose, he sat down by the fireplace, the warmth from the fire felt good against his back. He settled the pad of paper in his lap and looked at her, she truly looked beautiful, even with puffy eyes and a running nose. He chuckled to himself and began to sketch out the vague shape of her sleeping form, after nearly two hours of painstaking work, he finally finished his portrait, getting everything right down to the tassels on the throw pillow beneath her head. He tore the  picture from the pad and placed it on the coffee table, he smoothed his fingers through her hair as gingerly as he could so as to not wake her and left to go back to his room within the walls. 


	11. Impulse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Rape, blood.
> 
> Sorry for making such a short chapter, things have been hectic. I'll have the next chapter very soon though! <3

Alice awoke with a jerk, panting as the grip of a nightmare began to fade from her mind. Her hand flew to her chest as she panted, trying her best to shake the frightening images from her mind. She looked around the room with a confused expression, why was she in the living room on the couch? She remembered, she had fallen asleep from crying into Brahms' arms. She sat up on the couch and rubbed her tired eyes, they still felt tender and puffy from the sheer force of her tears, in truth the movie's ending only had a small fraction to do with her tears, she had cried more for her loss of freedom and the sheer terror of not being able to predict what Brahms could or would do with her. Part of her just wanted to be complacent, find a way to love the situation so it could be bearable, but the other side couldn't stop trying to find a way out. 

Alice cast her gaze around the room, noting that the sun was already up, she had slept through the night. She sighed and her gaze landed on a piece of sketch paper on the coffee table, quirking an eyebrow, she picked up the paper and studied it, her jaw dropping and her mouth going dry. Brahms had drawn Alice laying on the couch asleep, with some dark shadow with shining eyes behind her, one hand cradling her head while the other ventured between her thighs, she turned the picture towards the sunlight filtering into the room and saw that the shadow was in fact Brahms, an almost murderous look in his eyes. The more Alice studied the picture, the more she noticed the small details, like the handprint around her throat, and the multitude of bruises on her skin; it was expertly drawn and it made her stomach turn because of how realistic it looked. She growled and crumpled the picture, she stood up and walked into the kitchen, tossing the picture into the kitchen bin. Her shoulders quivered and she touched her right pinkie, making sure it was still there, and after finding that it was, she felt her body relax for a moment, but she couldn't fight the anxiety she felt building up. 

The sound of the telephone ringing caused her to jump and she hurried to the office, Alice grabbed the receiver and brought it to her ear, "Hello?"

"Hello, it's Brian, I got the number of yer doctor for ya."

Alice relaxed and sat down on the chair, grabbing a pen and paper, "Oh wonderful, thank you." She sighed in relief and wrote down the number for the doctor.

"I guess it seems you've got the house to yourself now these days." Brian sighed.

"Hm?" 

"Haven't you heard the news?"

"No, what?"

Brian gave a soft sigh, "Mister and Missus Heelshire, their..their bodies were found. They've died."

Alice's eyes widened in shock, "Oh my god.." She whispered, "What happened to them?"

"The police have ruled it as a suicide. We've been instructed to continue our deliveries, and I'm guessin' you're meant to still look after the little lad."

Brahms stepped into the room, his hands held behind his back, his eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes were dark. Alice recoiled from the sight of him and swallowed nervously, "I..I have to go. I'll call you back in a minute." She hung up the phone before Brian could answer and slowly stood, her hands fidgeting. "Brahms..I need to tell you something." She held up her hands in defense and took a deep breath, "Your parents..they.." Her voice trembled, she could only imagine the rage he would fly into hearing of his parents death. "They've passed away."

Brahms smirked, "I know, they died months ago. I'm surprised it took the authorities this long to find their bodies." He said in a low tone and shrugged.

Alice's eyes widened, "Wait..that doesn't make any sense, then who wrote into the newspaper, who did I meet with my first day?" The moment the question left her lips, she knew the answer, and facepalmed when she realized just how stupid she had been, no wonder she had recognized his voice. Her head popped up, "Wait. How did you know they died before the police did..?" She asked in a soft voice, her tone wavering with fear. 

Brahms' lips twitched into a smile, "I didn't kill them, if that's what you're asking." He stepped closer, his feet making the softest of sounds on the wooden floor. "They sent me this months ago." He held out a letter. "They left Greta for me, she was supposed to be mine. My parents couldn't keep up with the charade anymore, I suppose." He cast a glance around the room, "Mummy and Daddy never loved me anyhow, I don't miss them." His gaze landed on Alice and he smirked, "With their absence-" He stepped around the desk and drew her left wrist into his grasp, pulling her close. His lips pressed to her right ear as his right hand wandered down her side, slowly sneaking his hand up her shirt, "I guess that means _I'm Daddy now_." He purred darkly in her ear, giving the shell of her ear a quick lick, he couldn't deny his desires any longer, he needed to feel her pinned beneath him. He pulled away a little and wrapped his hand around her throat but didn't squeeze, and used his thumb to press against her windpipe. "And what does that make you, Alice?" He asked with a dark grin.

Alice's mouth went dry and her heart began to race in panic, she struggled against him but he held her firmly against him. "Mommies and Daddies have to be married. We aren't." She said, trying to plead with him. 

"I don't care." Brahms gripped the sides of her shorts and yanked them down with her panties. He grabbed her sides and lifted her onto the desk, a low growl leaving his lips.

"Please. Brahms. It isn't right. It's.." Alice frantically grabbed at straws, searching for anything she could use to save herself from his assault, "It's a sin!" She said hurriedly, her chest heaving.

Brahms fought back a grin, "I'm going to hell regardless, Alice, I may as well enjoy myself, should I not?" His fingers tugged at the button and zipper of his pants, reaching in to draw out his already hardened length. 

Alice looked down and choked out a cry, "Please! You don't want to hurt me, do you?" She whispered, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks, she pressed her knees together to keep him away.

Brahms' fingers teased circles against her kneecaps, he forced his hands between them and pushed her thighs apart easily with his strength. He let his gaze drop to her womanhood and he let out a growl in arousal, his erection throbbing impatiently. Slowly, he brought his gaze back up to her eyes, a smirk tugging at the right corner of his mouth, "Oh but I do, Alice. _I do_." He gripped the back of her neck and forced her forward, his lips crashing to hers. He bit at her lips, drawing them between his lips to suck, while his other hand cradled her lower back, pulling her closer to the edge of the desk until he felt her womanhood pressed against him. Brahms let out a growl against her lips and forced his tongue between her lips, flicking it against hers before drawing it between his teeth to bite down until he tasted blood. He broke from her lips, his chest heaving, and he rolled his tongue around his mouth with a moan, the coppery taste of her blood driving him up the wall. He slid the tip of his hardened length along her slit, moans forced out of his throat when he felt how warm and slick she was, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. Alice let out a scream and began to beat her fists against his chest, wiggling her hips to escape him, but she only succeeded in causing more friction against him, drawing precum to the tip of his member. Brahms grabbed her wrists and placed them both into his one hand, keeping her arms still with ease. "Go ahead, Alice. Beg. Scream. Sob. Let me hear it." He purred as his other hand trailed up the inside of her thigh. His fingers came to her quivering mound and he let out a whimper as he explored the folds of her slit, as his finger brushed past a protruding bit of her, it earned a strangled whimper from Alice. 

Brahms smirked and looked into her eyes, enjoying the look of panic within the blue pools. He repeated the motion and she bit her lower lip to silence herself, but he could hear the whimper before it died against her lips. He slid his fingers downward and his eyebrows furrowed when his fingers found an area that he could slide his fingers into, slowly, unsure, he slid two fingers inside of her warmth. He watched Alice squirm against him, panting and screaming for help, as her cries echoed off the walls he felt pleasure swell in the pit of his stomach. Slowly, he began to move his fingers around, exploring her depths and all its intricate interior folds. He withdrew his fingers and brought them at eye level, examining the thin film of fluid that covered his fingers and he inhaled through his nose, moaning softly as he immediately recognized the scent. Brahms drew his fingers into his mouth and lapped at them greedily, whimpering as the sweet tang of her juices coated his tongue. He sucked his fingers clean and withdrew them, looking down at Alice's panicked form when an idea struck him. _I wonder_. Slowly easing his hips forward, he pressed the tip of his length to her entrance, Alice's wide eyes and scream told him all he had to know, _he was doing it right_. 

Brahms eased his hips forward and he felt her womanhood slowly stretch to accommodate him, a whimper of pain leaving Alice's lips. She struggled against him and let out another hiccuped scream as she sobbed. He brought his hand forward and struck her across the face, enjoying the sting he felt when his hand collided with her face. He pushed forward, fighting against Alice's tightness until he was entirely embedded within her snug core. He let out a strangled moan, her warm wetness gripped him and with each of her struggles her walls moved against him, taking him in and forcing him back out. Brahms took each of Alice's wrists in one hand and forced them down, leaning forward until her back was pressed against the desk. In a last desperate attempt, Alice spit at his face. Brahms stuck out his tongue to the side and licked at the drops of her saliva that had collided with the corner of his mouth and he grinned down at her as he withdrew his length and thrust forward quickly, earning a panicked cry from Alice. Brahms leaned down and mauled at her throat with his teeth and tongue as he thrust into her, the feeling of such an encompassing warmth was far too much to bear. With every scream and cry, her walls crashed down against his length and he let out a growl, feeling his climax approaching. 

Alice hiccuped a sob, "Please. Stop.." She whispered, her voice cracking and hoarse from her screams and cries, searing pain shooting through her with every thrust of his member, tearing through the tight ring of flesh of her core, blood beginning to trickle down onto the desk. "Brahms!" She screamed, fighting against his hands and kicking her legs in defiance, but she knew that her struggles meant nothing against him.

Brahms grabbed a fistful of her hair and jerked backwards, "Not Brahms. I'm _Daddy_ now." He purred, drawing his tongue across his teeth, "Say it." He whispered. When Alice remained quiet, he growled and jerked her hair once more, feeling a few locks rip from her scalp, going slack in his grip. "I said, _say it_ , Alice."

Alice cried out in pain from her hair being ripped out and whimpered, she took a deep but shaky breath, and breathed out the simple word, "Daddy.."

The sound from her lips pushed Brahms over the edge, he drew her head back and bit hard into the skin of her throat as he came, furiously pumping his thickness into her as he came, filling her core with his thick cum. As he rode through his orgasm, his thrusts became more violent and erratic, causing the desk to scrape against the wooden floor. Brahms' thrusts eased after a moment and he became still inside of her, panting and whimpering against her throat. He slowly released his grasp on her hair and wrist and pulled away to look into her eyes, Alice avoided his gaze, the whites of her eyes bloodshot and tear glazed. He pressed his lips to hers gently, smoothing his thumbs over her tear stained cheeks before finally pulling away, the moment his length was free from her, blood and cum trickled out of her core and onto the desk. Brahms zipped his pants back up and looked down at her with a smile, she looked beautiful this way, sprawled out half naked, her thighs open for him to drink in the sight of her most vulnerable parts, covered in blood. 

Brahms adjusted his cardigan, "Your place is here with me, Alice, you had best get comfortable." He turned to leave the room but stopped at the door, casting a glance back at her, "And next time I give you a gift, you had better be grateful." He said, referencing his "portrait", and left the room, whistling softly as he strolled down the hall, a bounce in his step.

Alice sobbed softly and curled up into a fetal position on the desk, whispering words of prayer as she rubbed at the spots on her scalp where her hair had been torn away. What use were her prayers now? The phone rang and she whimpered, reaching out a tired arm to grab the receiver. "Hello?" She asked, her voice wavering.

"Miss Alice? It's Brian, are you alright? You kinda worried me there for a minute."

"Yes, I'm fine." Alice sighed and gulped, "I..I guess I'll just stay here and look after Brahms."

"Ah, well I'm sure the little lad will be quite pleased. I'll be bringing the delivery in a few hours, Miss Alice, I'll see you then. Ta." 

Alice hung up the phone and choked back a sob, furiously wiping at her puffy eyes. She crawled off the desk and looked down at her thighs and then back at the desk, the sight of the mixture of red and white made her stomach twist and she dry heaved, her hands trembling. She grabbed her shorts off the floor and cleaned up the mess with them, she was going to throw out her clothes anyhow so she might as well erase the evidence. She held the bloodied shorts in front of her womanhood to protect her modesty and snuck out of the room, hurrying up the stairs.

Brahms stepped into view at the top of the stairs, his smile small and relaxed, "Where are you off to, Alice?" He asked in his childs voice.

Alice's face burned red with embarrassment, "I need to get a shower." She said in a small voice. "C-Can I?" She avoided his eyes.

Brahms smiled, "Of course." He stepped aside as she ascended the stairs, "But first, you have to pay the toll." He leaned forward, watching her with amusement. Alice swallowed a lump in her throat and quickly placed a peck on his lips before disappearing down the hall to her bedroom. "Thank you." He smiled, watching her with a soft sigh. What a beautiful woman. He pressed his back to the wall as he watched her walk away, his heart swelling with love, he understood it all now, Alice had tried to manipulate him but he knew better now, it wasn't _only_ Mummies and Daddies that slept together. _It's what people in love do, that's what you had said Alice, you had let that slip. How clumsy of you._ He shook his head with a chuckle, perhaps her vocal slip had been on purpose? _She wanted it, she must have. She knows how good it felt for me to be buried within her, I heard her whimpers, she can't hide those from me._

Alice shut the door behind her and drew her top over her head and tossed her shirt and shorts into her trash, squirming at the thought of what had just happened. She stepped into the bathroom and turned on the shower, letting the water get as hot as she could possibly stand it before she stepped into the tub. The hot water scorched her skin but she just clenched her teeth and let it wash away every handprint he had left on her. She placed her hand between her thighs, wincing in pain as she withdrew bloodied fingers, she hadn't even bled that much when she lost her virginity. After thoroughly cleaning herself, she sat down in the tub and drew her knees to her chest, her sobs silenced by the rushing sound of the water.

After her shower, Alice got dressed in long pajama bottoms and a long sleeve shirt, and let her hair down to cover the bruises left on her neck. She opened her bedroom door, jumping when she saw Brahms standing just outside her door. 

"Well don't you look beautiful." Brahms smiled, his hands held behind his back, he brought one hand forward, holding out a white rose in his hand. "For you."

Alice swallowed nervously and slowly reached out her hand to take the rose, it was the first time anyone had ever given her a flower, "It's beautiful." She whispered, delicately touching the petals, but she stopped herself, having to remind herself just who this rose came from. "I'll go put it in water." She hung her head and brushed past him, but he followed close behind her, she knew she wouldn't be able to shake him. She stepped into the kitchen and grabbed a mug from the cupboard, and filled it with water, putting the rose into it and setting it on the kitchen windowsill. She admired the way it looked against the window, watching rain trickle down the glass. She must have stared for ten minutes before Brahms' voice pulled her from her small reprieve. 

"Hm?" Alice turned around.

"I said, are we going to make lunch together? You slept through breakfast, you looked so beautiful I didn't have the heart to wake you." Brahms smiled.

"You don't have a heart." Alice whispered.

Brahms quickly closed the gap between them, "Haven't I?" He grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest, his heart beating wildly beneath her palm. "I have done all of this for you. I took you into my home, I built you a fire when you know all too well my opinion of them, I've given you gifts and a beautiful life here. I have given you every part of me." He sighed and his eyebrows furrowed, "I'm tired of always trying to please you, Alice, will there ever be a time when I do something right in your eyes?" His eyes glazed over in tears and he turned to walk away.

"Wait." Alice spoke, her eyes widened at her own action, why had she said that? She bit her lower lip, "I'm sorry. I.." She felt a blush creep to her cheeks, "I appreciate all that you've done for me." She avoided his gaze.

Brahms turned and smiled, "Really?" He asked in a soft voice and walked back over to her, cupping her chin before placing a tender kiss on her lips. "I forgive you, Alice." He purred, staring down at her with excitement in his eyes.


	12. Punishment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Injury, blood.

Alice remained quiet as she prepared lunch, avoiding Brahms' gaze the entire time. Every time he stood near her, she felt her heart rate quicken, adrenaline rushing through her body in waves, the high and come down occurring over and over every time she felt his breath against her neck or felt his hand against her skin. She whisked some eggs in a bowl and added some salt and pepper to it while Brahms chopped a medium onion and a bell pepper, she tried to keep her gaze off of the knife he used, but she couldn't resist watching the up and down motion of the sharp stainless steel knife, wishing it was in her hands. 

Brahms slid the knife into his pocket and took the bowl of beaten eggs from Alice, his fingers gently brushing the back of her hand, he let out a soft sigh when a spark shot down his spine. He looked into her eyes, frowning when her eyes didn't meet his green ones. He cupped her chin and tilted her head upwards, finally she met his gaze. He smiled softly and pressed his lips to hers and felt her lips tremble against his. He released her chin and set down the bowl in front of him, scooping the chopped vegetables into his hands and dropping them into the egg mixture. He handed the bowl back to her and she took it with an almost inaudible "thank you". 

Alice poured the mixture into a greased pan and sprinkled cheese onto the egg and vegetable mixture, her heart beating almost painfully against her chest. She felt another wave of dizziness hit her and she gripped the counter for stability, a wave of nausea hitting her. 

"Alice?" Brahms' childlike voice asked, one hand reaching out to cup her shoulder.

"I'm alright..I've gotta call my doctor as soon as I finish making lunch." Alice quivered for a moment and straightened herself once the feeling passed. She waited until the eggs were cooked enough and slid the spatula under one side, flipping it over onto itself. She waited until the inside was cooked enough and scooped it onto a plate. "Can you cut up an apple, please?" She asked quietly. She used a butter knife to cut the omelette in half and put the other half onto Brahms' plate. She turned off the stove and looked down at the floor, "I need to call my doctor."

"Hold on, I'm almost done, Alice." Brahms said in a cheery high pitched voice. He plucked a red apple from the fruit bowl and cut it into pieces, dividing the slices to their two plates and slid the knife back into his pocket. He filled the kettle full of water and put two black tea bags into it, he placed the kettle onto the stove and turned the fire up all the way. 

Alice sighed softly and walked down the hall to the office, Brahms following close behind her. _I wonder if I'll ever get to have a moment alone ever again_ , she thought to herself. She looked at the desk and grimaced, remembering what had happened nearly half an hour ago. She picked up the receiver and dialed the number to her doctor's office, moving aside to keep as much room between her and the desk as possible. "Hello? Hi, Stacy, it's Alice Snow. I need to get a refill of my Geodon, I moved and it got lost in the move somehow." She bit the inside of her cheek, it was amazing how being in this situation with Brahms had turned her into a trained liar. 

"I'll have it faxed over to your pharmacy right now."

"Thank you." Alice hung up the phone and felt her shoulders relax in relief for a moment. She picked the phone back up and tucked it between her ear and shoulder as she dialed the number of her pharmacy, avoiding the piercing gaze of Brahms as he watched her, his eyes silently warning her to behave. One of the pharmacists answered and Alice put on an cheerful voice, "Hi, this is Alice Snow, my doctor is faxing over a prescription and I'm gonna need it to be delivered to a new address." She made soft, "mhm" sounds as the pharmacist spoke and she gave the woman the address to Brahms' house. "When can I expect the delivery?" She asked, nervously chewing her lower lip, "Tomorrow? That's wonderful, thank you. Bye." She hung up the phone and sighed softly, the knot in her stomach relaxing a little. Brahms held his hands behind his back, silently watching her. Alice forced herself to keep from growling, "You don't have to watch me every time I'm on the phone, Brahms."

Brahms chuckled and shook his head, "You aren't house broken yet, Alice. Until then, expect me to accompany you to every phone call." He said lowly. Alice sighed and left the room, refusing to look his way. Brahms' voice called after her, "Where are you going?" He asked, noticing that she was about to leave out of the kitchen door. 

"I have to clean the traps." Alice grabbed a pair of gloves and a trash bag from beneath the sink, slid on a pair of her shoes that was by the door and opened the door, "If you're so worried about me running away, you could always join me." She said in a cruel mocking tone, knowing that he didn't like the idea of leaving the house. She made a small "hmph" sound and slammed the door behind her, walking over to the traps. She opened them and dumped them into the trash bag, the thundering storm that had occurred just hours earlier had died down to a small sprinkling. She struggled in the fresh mud for a moment and cast her gaze towards the small lake that sat behind the house, longing tugging at her heart. She noticed something pale sticking from the mud and dropped the bag at her feet, slowly walking over to it. She knelt down and tugged at it, letting out a shrill scream when a hand slid out of the mud. Alice fell backwards onto the ground, crawling away as quickly as possible. "O-Oh my god.." She gasped for air, staring in horror at the bloodied hand sticking out from the earth. 

"Go back inside, Alice." Brahms spoke in warning behind her, his hands held behind his back.

Alice turned and scrambled to her feet, slipping in the mud, "W-What is that?!" She screamed in panic, her heart pounding in her ears. She studied his face and she knew all she needed to know, he had killed someone.

Brahms' eyes narrowed, "I said, go back inside, Alice."

"You killed someone..you..you KILLED SOMEONE!" Alice panicked and looked around her, searching for an opening. She took off to the lake, fighting against the slippery mud, the rain began to fall harder and it stung when each droplet hit her skin. She fought against the rain, her vision blinded by the water droplets, the wet sloshing sound of Brahms running after her echoing in her mind. 

"Get back here!" Brahms thundered, his vocal cords straining. He closed the distance between them with ease and grabbed a fistful of her hair, jerking her back towards him. When her back crashed against his chest, he gripped her throat. "I told you to mind your own business, Alice." He warned, "I've been patient with you, but I can see that I'm going to have to teach you a lesson."

"Please..please just kill me! I can't take this anymore, I can't live like this!" She pleaded.

"You're mine, Alice. I told you, you aren't going anywhere." Brahms dragged her back to the house while she kicked and screamed under his iron grip. He dragged her over to the stump beside the house where wood was to be cut and pushed her down, forcing her hand onto the stump. He grabbed her right pinkie and forced it outward, tucking the rest of her fingers against her palm. He grabbed the axe propped up against the house and turned to look at her, she trembled and attempted to remove her hand until he growled, "Hold still, or it'll be your _hand_ I take."

Alice sobbed violently, her entire body quivering. She looked up at him, her eyes pleading, "Please. You don't have to do this. I'll be good! I won't run away, I promise!" Her voice cracked and she sniffled, her nose running and tears rolling down her cheeks in a constant stream.

"I love you, Alice, that's why I'm doing this." Brahms took a deep breath and got a good grip on the axe, raising it above his head, he gave her one final look, his eyebrows furrowed, he hated to punish her in such a way, but what was he to do? She simply wouldn't listen. He brought down the axe in a swift quick motion, the axe cutting through the knuckle of her pinkie where it met her palm with ease. She let out a wail and collapsed onto the muddy ground, grasping at her hand in panic as bright red blood began to spew, coating her top in thick sprays of blood. Brahms watched her howl in pain and writhe on the ground for a moment, drinking in the sight of all that beautiful red. "You know I had to do it, Alice, you wouldn't listen." He grabbed her uninjured wrist and dragged her back into the house, once they were in the kitchen he forced her to stand and grabbed her bloodied hand, studying it. Blood spurted out, covering his cheek with a thin spray of blood and he let out a moan, pleasure throbbing between his legs, but now was not the time, he needed to treat her. 

"Please.." Alice whispered, her pupils blown out as her body entered into shock, her blood pressure lowering as she bled. As she stood there, the pain subsided and she became numb, her knees knocked together as she trembled, looking up at him with tear filled eyes. 

Brahms thought for a moment. _Aha_. He took the kettle from the fire on the stove and held her hand closer to him, "Shall I count to three?" He questioned and looked at her, his eyebrow quirked.

"Just do it.." She sniffled.

Brahms pressed the searing red bottom of the kettle to her amputated digit and she let out a scream, her legs giving out beneath her. She struggled against him, fighting to get her hand back from him, but he kept an iron grip around her wrist and pressed the hot kettle against her harder, the stench of burning flesh filling the air. "Behave, Alice." He chided and slowly removed the kettle, small bits of burnt skin peeling off and sticking to the kettle. He set it down and studied her finger, it was cauterized and had ceased its bleeding. 

Alice pulled her hand back to herself and looked down at her hand, her stomach twisting hard to the point where she began to dry heave at the sight of her missing finger. She pressed her back to one of the cabinets and cradled her hand, silently crying as Brahms left the room.

Brahms returned after a moment, a first aid kit in his hands. He sat down on his knees in front of her and opened the first aid kit. "Give me your hand." He ordered. Alice sent him a panicked look and he tilted his head to the side, "Would you rather it fester? Then you'd be losing a hand." He huffed impatiently. Alice shook her head and slowly held out her hand to him, her hand quivering. Brahms dabbed it with alcohol and she hissed in pain, he spread a thin layer of antibacterial cream on the wound and gently began to bandage it up. "How does your wrist feel?"

"I.." Alice swallowed a lump in her throat, "It doesn't really hurt anymore.."

Brahms nodded as he finished wrapped gauze around her hand, he secured it with tape and closed the first aid kit. He brought her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her bandaged wound. "All better." He said and stood, reaching out a hand to help her to stand. He cupped her chin and forced her to look at him, "This won't happen again, will it, Alice?"

Alice shook her head, "No.." She whispered, all fight in her system leaving her body, she didn't have a chance against him, she would be his prisoner forever.

"Well, to ensure that, I'm going to make a little temporary adjustment. You're _grounded_ , once you have given me an apology you will be off restriction."

"But..but I am sorry!" Alice sniffled, hurriedly wiping at her tears.

"No, but you _will_ be, that I can assure you, Alice." Brahms sighed, "I've some work to do, clean this mess up while I'm gone." He said and disappeared outside, walking to the large tool shed behind the house.

Alice sighed and looked down at the sprays of blood on the floor and the muddy footprints and choked back a sob as she grabbed a mop and began to mop up the blood and mud, pain pulsing through her hand, the bandages rubbing against her wound and causing an annoying friction. After she finished cleaning, she stood still in the kitchen, afraid to move or do anything without his say so. Brahms stepped back into the kitchen with something in a large canvas sack and it clanked as he walked, he past by her and left the kitchen, making his way up the stairs; she could tell by the sound of his footsteps that he was going to her bedroom. For nearly half an hour she heard clanking sounds and the sound of a drill, the sounds sent chills up her spine, finally Brahms made his way back down the stairs.

Brahms stepped into the kitchen, "Take your plate of food." He ordered and she complied without a word, keeping her gaze to the ground. He lead her up the stairs to her bedroom and opened the door for her, when she stepped inside her eyes widened at the sight. There was a ring eye plate bolted into the middle of her floor, with a very long chain attached to it. "Get on the bed." He said, his hands stuffed into his pockets.

Alice gulped and slowly stepped over to her bed and sat down, nearly dropping her plate of food with how badly her hands were trembling. "What are you going to do..?" She whispered.

"I told you, you're grounded." Brahms took the end of the long chain and stepped over to Alice, kneeling down in front of her. He pulled down her muddy pajama pants and tossed them aside, and took her bare right ankle in his hands and wrapped the chain around it, keeping it snug before he reached his hand into his pocket and withdrew a padlock. He locked the chain around her ankle and tugged at it, it pressed almost painfully against her skin and he knew there was no way that she'd be able to slip it off of her foot. Brahms stood back up and crossed his arms over his chest, "The chain is long enough so that you can get to the bathroom or anywhere else in your room. Until you're ready to apologize, you'll be confined here."

Alice set down her plate of food and dropped to her knees on the floor, "I'm so sorry.." She sobbed and tugged at his pants leg.

Brahms' heart gave a jerk, but he knew he had to be firm with her if they were going to make any progress. "No, you aren't Alice. When you apologize, I want you to _mean it_." He turned to leave the room, "This hurts me just as much as it does you." He whispered before shutting the door behind him.

Alice sniffled and crawled back into her bed, the cold touch of metal on her ankle felt like a death sentence, now she truly was a prisoner. 

Brahms felt his eyes sting and he punched the wall, why couldn't she just leave things alone? Why did she have to cause problems? He sighed and left the house, his fists clenching in annoyance, he hated being outside, it had been years since he had been outside and now it seemed the only times he had cause to leave was to chase after Alice. He grabbed a shovel from the shed and began to dig up Cole's body, he groaned when the stench of his decaying body hit his nose and he pulled out the mangled corpse. He filled in the hole and began to haul the pieces of Cole's body to the lake, hurling them into the water and watching as they slowly began to sink, thankful that the lake was very deep and full of plenty of fish that would take care of what little was left of the body.

Brahms walked back toward the house and stopped at the chopping stump, looking down at the pale bloody digit that lay there, he grabbed it and tucked it into his pocket before walking back into the house and stepped into his fathers office to grab a pen and paper. He scribbled a quick note to Brian, trying his best to disguise his handwriting as something somewhat feminine and walked down the hall to the front door. He looked through the peephole to make sure Brian wasn't there, and opened it, leaving the note on the welcome mat. He left the door unlocked so that Brian could come in and stepped into the kitchen, grabbing his plate of food. He quietly took it upstairs to his old bedroom and sat down on his childhood bed, slowly eating his food as he listened to the telltale scrape of the chains moving across Alice's wooden floor. _It won't be forever, Alice, you just have to apologize to me, and I'll set you free._

Alice paced around her room for what felt like hours, bored out of her mind. Finally, she sighed and slumped back onto her bed, sliding underneath the covers, tossing and turning a few times until she found a somewhat comfortable position. It wasn't long before the emotional stress and blood loss got to her and she began to feel exhausted, as her eyelids fluttered closed, she prayed for a good dream, if her waking world was to be so dark and miserable, perhaps she could find some happiness in her dreams. 


	13. Scorched

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Injury and blood.
> 
> Sorry for the short chapter, but there's more to come very soon! <3

Alice felt something tugging at her foot in her sleep, she giggled in her half awake state and moved her foot. Something ran across the sole of her foot lightly and she woke up fully, letting out a loud giggle. She opened her eyes and looked to the foot of the bed, the sight of Brahms sitting on the edge of her bed made her heart race. "Brahms." She whispered and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself.

Brahms smiled softly, "Hey sleepyhead." He said and tickled her foot once more, Alice giggled and moved her foot away, silently chiding herself for laughing. "I love your laugh." He bit his lower lip, his heart fluttering as he watched her; even in her just awake state with a disheveled shirt and bedhead, she was still so beautiful. "Did you sleep well?" His eyes wandered down her body and he took note of her bare hips, he felt a blush cross his cheeks and he bit his lower lip.

Alice looked away and bit her lower lip deep in thought, wondering if she should tell him the truth or not, would he be angry with her answer? "Um..n-not really. The sound of the chain woke me up a few times." She sat up and pulled her blanket to cover herself, hiding her bare lower body from him.

"I'm sorry, Alice." Brahms sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I hated doing that to you.."

"It's okay. I broke a promise, I shouldn't have done that.." Alice said without thinking and mentally slapped herself for even speaking the words. She looked over at him, "Did you sleep okay?"

Brahms shrugged, "More or less. It's hard fitting into my old bed."

Alice raised an eyebrow, "You slept in your old room? Why?"

Brahms felt his cheeks turn a soft shade of pink, "I wanted to be close in case you needed anything."

Alice studied the blush across Brahms' cheeks and felt her heart flutter for a moment, "Thanks." She looked away quickly, and looked down at her bandaged hand and her wrist brace, at a loss for words. What was there to say anymore?

"Oh!" Brahms exclaimed.

Alice's attention turned to Brahms in surprise, "What?" Her eyebrows furrowed.

Brahms reached into his pocket and pulled out an orange bottle, "Your medicine came in the mail." 

Alice took the bottle from him and smiled down at it, running her fingers over the label, "Thank you, Brahms. You..you don't know what this means to me." She popped the cap and took one of the pills and grabbed the glass of water on her night stand and chased it down. 

"What do you take those for? You said it helped with something but you never said what." Brahms looked over at her, his expression one of worry. 

Alice thought for a moment, trying to find the best way to express to him a very complicated problem. "Well, I have bipolar disorder, type two. Basically, what it means is my mood changes quite a bit, and when it does, it really hurts me. This medicine makes it so that my moods don't change as often, or as severely. Does that make sense?"

Brahms slowly nodded, but then his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Does that mean I'm bipolar? Mummy and Daddy tried to get me to take those but I wouldn't.."

"Not necessarily. This type of medication fixes a lot of problems, not just what I have." Alice said and slowly looked into his eyes. "Did your parents ever take you to see a psychiatrist when you were little?" She drew her knees up to her chest, the chain clink-ing as it slid along the floor. 

"What's a psychiatrist?"

"It's like a doctor, except they help you with problems you're feeling, instead of things like coughs and colds."

"Ohh. Yeah." Brahms nodded, "Mummy and Daddy invited a doctor over when I was seven, he took me into my Daddy's office and asked me a bunch of questions."

"What kind of questions did he ask you?"

"If I ever felt angry, if I heard things no one else did, if I ever wanted to hurt someone. Things like that." Brahms drew his legs up onto the bed and crossed them, his hands resting on his knees.

"And what did you tell him?"

"I didn't tell him anything, I didn't like him. He smelled like licorice and had a really big moustache, it looked like a caterpillar." He shook his head.

"You don't like caterpillars?" Alice asked and Brahms shook his head. "You know what they turn into, don't you?" She asked softly and Brahms shook his head once more. "They can turn into butterflies and moths, depending on what kind they are. They may look like ugly little worms sometimes, but they can grow into something really beautiful. Do you like butterflies or moths?"

"I like butterflies, but moths-" Brahms shivered, "They're gross, they eat my clothes." Alice chuckled and Brahms smiled, enjoying her laugh. "On my sixth birthday my Daddy got me a net to catch butterflies, the first one I caught was blue and black. I still have it." He smiled proudly.

"Oh?"

"Mhm. Daddy taught me how to pin them. We put him into a jar with this liquid on a cotton ball and it died, then we put him into a wooden box and pinned him. It's in Daddy's study."

"Oh! I remember seeing it. It's really beautiful." Alice smiled softly. This felt nice, to just converse about various things without the threat of being sexually assaulted or beaten. She wondered to herself if things had been different if they could have been friends in another life. "I used to collect moths when I was a kid, butterflies always kinda creeped me out, their eyes look weird. Moths are fuzzy and their wings are really soft. My favorite was a luna moth I found on the side of my house one night, she was beautiful. I caught her to keep as a pet and she laid eggs in the box I kept her in, and she died soon after. I wanted to keep the eggs and raise the babies, but my parents didn't want moths flying around the house." Alice smiled sadly at the memory. 

"What's a luna moth?" 

"They're beautiful. I'm sure you've probably seen them before, they're all over this area. They are bright green with white fluffy bodies, and they're about this big-" Alice held out her hands to demonstrate their size.

"I have seen them before! I thought those were butterflies. I tried to catch one once but it kept getting away."

Alice offered a smile, "Maybe one day we can catch some together." It would feel good to be outside again, even after half a day of being confined to her room she felt stir crazy.

Brahms looked into her eyes, a flash of fear crossing over them for a moment, "But..they're _outside_."

Alice scooted closer to him, "What's wrong with going outside, Brahms?"

"Mummy and Daddy didn't let me go outside, ever since.." Brahms looked away and sighed. 

"It's okay, we don't have to go outside, but Brahms, you have to understand, there's no reason for you to hide."

"But then people would _see_ me."

"And what's so bad about that? I see you all the time."

"That's different.."

Alice sighed, "You have to tell me what happened to you, Brahms. I mean, I'm in the dark here." She thought for a moment and an idea struck her, "When you're in a relationship, you have to share things, remember?" Hoping the subtle manipulation would work.

Brahms nervously fidgeted his fingers, "If I tell you, you won't love me.."

Alice's body tensed for a moment, she knew it was going to be something bad, but she couldn't take the curiosity any longer. "It won't change my opinion of you, I promise." _I doubt you could say anything that could make me even more afraid of you_ , she thought to herself.  

Brahms took a deep breath, "There was this girl that used to come over to play with me. Emily." He stared down at his hands, picking under his nails nervously. "There was just something about her I loved, I always wanted to be around her, but sometimes she just made me so mad." He felt his hands tremble at the memory of her, he hadn't thought about that day in such a long time. "As time went on, she didn't want to come play with me anymore, but her parents made her. When we were alone, she wouldn't come near me. I think I scared her."

"What did you do to scare her, Brahms?" Alice drew her lower lip between her teeth.

"I just wanted to play hide and go seek."

Alice's eyes narrowed in confusion, "Why would that scare her?"

"Because I was really good at it, and when I'd find her, I'd chase after her and we'd play fight." Brahms stated simply and shrugged.

Alice felt a chill run down her spine, she knew it was more than that, she knew his impulses and no doubt he had been rough with Emily, Brian had told her of the bruises the poor girl would always come home with. "And what about your eighth birthday? What happened?"

Brahms gripped the fabric of his pants on his knees, inhaling slowly through his nose, "My Mummy and Daddy invited all their friends and their children over, but I didn't care about them, I only wanted to play with Emily, but she didn't want to play. My Mummy and Daddy took pictures of us, and Emily would always smile for the pictures but I couldn't, I couldn't smile because it hurt knowing she didn't want to play with me anymore." He gnawed at his lower lip a moment before continuing, "I finally got her to play with me, I told her I had a new game to play. We went to my favorite spot in the woods and I told her we were going to play "Mummy and Daddy". I just wanted to kiss her, but she slapped me and tried to run away. I don't know why, but I got so angry, I just wanted to kiss her."

Alice swallowed and eased herself away a little, running her finger over the bandage on her hand, remembering the pain she had felt when the axe cleaved through her finger. "And then what happened?"

"She was running away, screaming for her Mummy. I grabbed her and told her to be quiet, I didn't want Mummy and Daddy to know, but she just wouldn't stop screaming. I tried to kiss her again but she wouldn't stop screaming. She wouldn't stop screaming." He bit his lower lip, "I just wanted her to be quiet. I grabbed a rock and.." He began to hyperventilate, his chest rising and falling quickly as he stared off in space, a pleasurable chill running down his spine.

Slowly, Brahms began to calm down, he looked over at Alice, a glaze over his eyes. He could still remember the sound of Emily's head when he had crushed it, it had only taken two strikes of the jagged rock before he saw what lay inside her skull. He had never felt that exhilarated in his life, a sense of excitement had rushed over him and he struck her twice more, watching as blood and brain matter flew from the wound, landing in clumps on the ground and on his trousers. He found himself smiling as tears had rolled down his cheeks, a feeling of release washing over him, it had been nothing like when he had skinned his first cat. His senses were heightened, a new feeling coursing through his veins that he had never experienced before and he had moved Emily's face towards him, admiring the look on her face and how the pale tone of her skin began to fade into something translucent. After a moment, Brahms stood and dropped the rock, looking down at Emily and he felt his stomach twist violently; he vomited beside her, spilling his stomach of its contents of cake and icecream. As he watched her, fear jolted through his body when he realized what he had done, his Emily wouldn't be coming back, and it was all his fault. 

"I ran back home and told Mummy and Daddy what happened, they told me to go play in my room. I heard Emily's parents screaming for her, and everyone spent a couple hours looking for her." Brahms released the grip on the fabric of his pants over his knees, his white knuckles turning back to their normal pink hue. "When they found her, someone phoned the police. Mummy and Daddy told me that I'd have to go away, or they'd find me and punish me. Mummy told me to hide and that Daddy would make everything alright again. I hid in the walls, I had discovered one of the passageways by accident a year before, so I hid there. I could smell smoke and felt heat all around me, I screamed for Mummy and Daddy to come get me, but they never came-" He ran his fingers across the burn scars on the ride side of his face, "The firemen put out the fire and I had to do my best to keep quiet, but my face hurt so badly, I couldn't stop crying. Mummy and Daddy told me that I was safe now, that no one was going to come looking for me, but I'd have to stay hidden if I wanted to be safe, then that's when they bought the doll.." 

Alice watched him, her eyebrows knitted together, part of her felt pity for his situation; obviously he had severe problems that weren't dealt with in time, and after what he had done and the two decades he had spent within the walls completely isolated from everyone, his mind had only fractured more. She counted herself lucky, at the very least he had come to control himself to some degree, he had killed Emily over a small slight, the fact that Alice was still breathing was a miracle. She sat there silently, her mind racing in an attempt to find something to say. "I'm sorry.." She whispered finally.

Brahms lifted his head and looked over at her, watching her intently. His heart gave a flutter, she didn't hate him? Even after what he had done? He smiled softly and he reached out his hand slowly to Alice, holding out his hand with his palm facing outwards. 

Alice watched Brahms' expression and felt a tug at her heart, he had probably never had anyone understand him or even attempt to in his entire life. Slowly she reached out her hand and pressed her palm to his, her hand dwarfed by his large palm and long fingers. She slowly met his eyes and offered him a forced small smile before withdrawing her hand. She adjusted the blanket and stared down at her hands quietly.

Brahms watched her and sighed softly through his nose, he hated having her trapped here, especially when she had just shown him such understanding and care after finding out his biggest secret, but he knew that just like with training a dog, he couldn't reward bad behavior, he had to be firm with her. He smiled and gave her unchained ankle a squeeze, "How about I bring up the tv and we can watch a film together?"

Alice nodded, keeping her eyes off of Brahms, trying desperately not to feel swayed by his small kind gestures. She looked at her missing finger and reminded herself she was no more than an animal that was being chained up, he didn't love her, no one who could commit such terrible acts could love. _Could they_?


	14. Blush

Brahms brought the tv and dvd player up the stairs, taking care to walk up slowly and easily so he wouldn't drop the tv, it wasn't heavy, only awkward. He set it down on the top of Alice's dresser and plugged it in along with the dvd player; he went back down the stairs to grab the dvds and also grabbed the cds and boombox, stepping into the kitchen to stuff two apples into his pockets. 

Alice leaned forward and scratched at her ankle where the chain was and tossed aside the blanket, looking down at the pink hue that circled around her ankle that was caused by the constant friction of the chain. When she heard Brahms coming up the stairs once more, she quickly covered herself and looked away, her heart racing, she felt as if she were fumbling around in a pitch black room with mouse traps scattered over the floor when she was around him, when would she inevitably take a wrong step and set off a trap?

Brahms set the boombox down with the cds and held out the dvds to Alice, "Which one?" He smiled softly.

Alice thought for a moment, "Home Alone, I think." She hugged her knees close to her chest and watched as Brahms operated the dvd player, obviously he had paid close attention to what she had done when they had watched Titanic. "You're a fast learner." She said softly.

Brahms set the movie to play with the remote and turned with a smile, "Thank you. It's not that different from a vhs actually." He reached into his pockets and drew out the apples, holding out one of the plump yellow and red fruits to her. 

"Honeycrisp. These are my favorites." Alice smiled softly and took the apple and brought it to her mouth, taking a large bite out of it. Juice trickled down her chin and she moaned softly at the sweet taste and somewhat crisp texture.

Brahms watched her with a smile and bit into his apple, admiring her fresh faced look, he appreciated makeup on a woman, but there was nothing more beautiful to him than the natural shade of a woman's lips and the intricate imperfections in their skin tone. It was something he saw not too often, especially in his old movies, and them being in black and white certainly didn't help the women to look more natural. "Why do women wear makeup so much, Alice?" He asked, a piece of apple in his cheek as he chewed.

"A lot of different reasons." Alice positioned her pillow behind her back and leaned against it, swallowing the bite of apple she had been chewing. "And it's not just women who wear makeup, either, lots of different people do. It can be something you use to attract other people, to make your natural features pop, for fun, or simply because it makes you feel better about yourself, it's different for everyone."

"I like you better without makeup." Brahms sat down beside Alice on the bed and propped his legs up, his back pressed to the headboard as he finished his apple.

Alice blushed, "Thank you, Brahms." She whispered and finished up her apple. She took the core of Brahms' apple and her own and tossed it into the bin beside her bed and looked towards the tv, watching as the movie began to start after going through the credits. 

"Is this one of the romances?"

Alice snorted, "No. It's a comedy, you'll love it." She glanced over at him with a smile, she had heard him laugh very few times, and she was curious to see how much he would laugh during the movie.

As the movie rolled on, both Alice and Brahms had fits of laughter each and every time the two goons got hurt. Brahms' laugh was loud and had various pitches depending on how funny he had found it, and Alice noticed a few small snorts coming from him as he tried his hardest to keep his laughter quiet, but he always lost and would burst into a fit of giggles once more. 

Alice leaned back against the headboard and held her stomach, her abdomen muscles aching from the strain of laughing. She wiped away a tear and sighed, "That movie always gets me. I grew up with it, me and my family would watch it every Christmas."

Brahms turned onto his side and looked at her, his eyebrows furrowed, "Why don't you talk about your parents more?" He asked innocently. "It seems you have some great memories of them, but..you get this look in your eyes whenever you mention your parents." He said, an underlying tone of worry in his voice.

Alice sighed and drew her knees up to her chest, "We don't get along like we used to."

Brahms scooted forward a little, "Why, Alice?" He asked in his childlike voice.

"I was the youngest child and the last to move out, when my brother and sister left my mom got really depressed, and so did my dad. They got what is known as "empty nest syndrome", even though I was still living with them." Alice shrugged, "They kept trying to control my every move, they wouldn't let me go out with friends, and when I finally got my license they wouldn't let me drive their car for the longest time. I guess they were afraid something was going to happen to me, they were afraid of losing their last kid. I understand it to a point, but it was like I was a prisoner. Then.." She took a deep breath, "My bipolar disorder came to the surface, we didn't know what was wrong with me, and one day I knew that if I didn't go to emergency, I was going to commit suicide. I went to emergency and they sent me to this special hospital for people with my kind of problems, and I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. For the next few years I was in therapy and had medications, and my parents became more protective of me because of my mental state. I couldn't stand it, they were treating me like a child instead of an adult, so I left to go live with my aunt, and..it caused a rift between me and my parents." 

Brahms stayed quiet, he understood all too well the feeling of being treated as a child when you were in fact all grown up. He sighed softly, "I'm sorry, Alice." He reached out his hand to her knee and Alice jumped in surprise, but settled down, allowing him to caress her knee. "What's suicide?" He asked in his high pitched tone.

"It's when you kill yourself, and when you feel like you want to, that's called being suicidal." Alice looked over at him, "Have you ever felt that way?"

Brahms thought for a moment, "Sometimes I felt like I just..didn't want to be here anymore, but I didn't know that it was even an option, not until I got that letter from my parents." He frowned at the memory. 

Alice watched his expression, taking note of the pain in his eyes, sure, he had had a terrible relationship with his parents, but they were still his parents and they should've cared for him like any loving parent would. She knew that Mister and Missus Heelshire had definitely done many wrongs in Brahms' upbringing, and had left him when he was still so vulnerable and fragile, and although Brahms was angry, she knew he wished he had had more time to try and salvage their relationship. She sighed and reached out her injured hand, gently placing it on top of Brahms'. "I'm sorry they left you that way, Brahms. There's no excuse for that."

Brahms looked down at her hand and gently lifted it, examining her braced wrist and the bandage covering the blank space where her pinkie had been. He pressed a kiss to the bandage, "Thank you, Alice, but..I think I'm doing better without them, I have you now." He smiled up at her.

Alice forced a smile, "Yeah.." She nodded and turned her attention away, slowly withdrawing her hand, a pulse of pain shooting through her wound from the pressure of Brahms' lips against it. "Brahms?"

"Yes, Alice?"

"Could you look away for a minute?" Alice blushed.

Brahms' eyebrows furrowed for a moment but then he realized what she meant and he nodded, turning around in the bed to give her some privacy.

Alice tossed her blanket aside and got out of the bed, the cool air hitting her bare backside and giving her goosebumps. She walked over to her dresser and picked out a new top and a pair of socks and walked into the bathroom. She set her new clothes onto the edge of the sink and drew her top over her head and slid her socks off, tossing them into the hamper.

Brahms turned around slowly, catching a glimpse of Alice from the back. He felt his pulse quicken and he swallowed, his tongue sliding across his teeth as he watched her bend over to turn on the shower, giving him a perfect view of what lay between her thighs. His length began to stiffen within his trousers and he moaned softly, biting his lower lip.

Alice heard a small noise and turned her attention to the bed, gasping when she saw Brahms watching her. She closed the door as much as she could, the chain not allowing the door to close all the way. "I told you to look, Brahms." She sighed and rubbed at her temples in frustration, "Good boys don't spy, okay?" 

Brahms felt his face flood red and he stood, "I'm sorry, Alice. I'll be good." His childlike voice taking over. "I'll be in my room." He fought back the pulse between his thighs and forced himself to leave the room, walking into his old room across the hall. He sat down on his bed and laced his hands in his lap, tapping his toes as he silently waited for Alice to finish her shower. Flashes of her naked body came to his mind and he whimpered, it hadn't been that long since he had taken Alice, and already the urge was flooding back. He was in a constant battle between the two main facets of his personality, the innocent childlike side that wanted nothing more than to make Alice happy and be a good boy, and this dark twisted bit of him that needed to be embedded deep within her, wanting to hear her cry and whimper his name. _No. I need to be a good boy_ , he thought to himself, and he only knew of one other way to quell those desires. Brahms unbuttoned his trousers and reached in through the fabric of his trousers and boxers, grasping his length. He quickly pumped his hand up and down and choked out a moan, "I'll be good for you, Alice, I promise, I'll be so good." He whispered with a whimper and moaned louder, his other hand gripping his bedsheets as he thrust his hips forward against his hand impatiently, imagining Alice sitting atop him, her warm tightness enveloping his thick length. It wasn't long before he reached his climax, his cum spurting out onto his hand and trousers. He relaxed against his bed and panted, slowly withdrawing his hand from his trousers as his climax ebbed, the dark urge within him sated for now. 

Alice washed the conditioner from her hair and grabbed one of the many bottles sitting on the shelves of the shower and squirted its contents into her hand. She smoothed the gritty mixture onto her face and worked the scrub into her skin in gentle circles, scrubbing away the oil and dead skin cells that had accumulated. She stepped forward into the shower and let the water wash off the scrub, the sound of her chain sliding and knocking against the tub made her skin crawl, a constant reminder of her position. Alice turned off the water and stepped out, wrapping a towel around her hair. She massaged her hair with the towel and dried it as much as possible before wiping down the rest of her wet body. She slid on her new socks and put on her new t shirt, admiring the cute kitten print on it as she looked at herself in the mirror. 

Alice felt her stomach twist slightly at her reflection, she had circle under her eyes, no doubt from the stress and lack of sufficient sleep. She quickly ran a brush through her hair and tied her hair up into a bun, turning her head to look at her neck where Brahms had assaulted her with his mouth, thankfully the bruises were barely visible now. She took off the wet bandage from her hand and tossed it into the bin beside the toilet, annoyed that she hadn't taken it off before her shower. Alice brought her hand closer to her and looked at it, Brahms had aimed perfectly, severing it between the joint, she wondered to herself how many times he had taken animals apart, as for someone who had had a difficult time chopping wood, he hadn't had much trouble cutting _her_ up. 

Alice examined her wound and brought it to her nose and inhaled, there wasn't a bad smell, and there was minimal swelling and the redness stayed near the wound, instead of branching out, as far as she could tell there was no infection; by the looks of the scab that had formed, her wound would heal without a problem, and for that she was thankful. She stepped into her bedroom and sighed, annoyed that she couldn't pull on a pair of pants, or at the very least some panties. She crawled back into bed, the chain dragging across the wood of the floor as she went, and she couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine, it sounded like something from a haunted house. Alice pulled the covers over her lower body and huffed, boredom swirling around her brain, she'd have given anything to see her best friend and go out for drinks like they used to, or just to do anything that didn't involve Brahms.

Brahms left his bedroom and went to the master bathroom in his parents old room and took off his trousers. He washed his hands and wet a couple spots on his trousers, rubbing his fingers across the fabric to wipe off the white stain he had made. He slid his trousers back on and turned off the water, leaving the room to go back to Alice's. He gave her a smile as he stepped back in, his hands held behind his back. "You look beautiful."

Alice blushed, "Um, thanks." She avoided his gaze, nervously chewing her lower lip. 

"Can we watch Finding Nemo now?" Brahms asked quietly, his tone childlike.

"I can see now I'm gonna have to get Brian to bring more movies at this rate." Alice sighed a little, "But yeah, sure." She shrugged, _It's not as if I have much choice, I'm the one chained up here, you can do whatever the hell you want at this point_ , she thought to herself.

Brahms giggled excitedly and changed the dvds in the dvd player, he brought the remote over to the bed and sat back down on the bed, this time closer to Alice. He pushed play when the menu came up and set the remote down, looking up excitedly to the tv. "Is this about Captain Nemo?"

Alice raised an eyebrow, "Who?"

"From 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." 

"Oh!" Alice shook her head, "No. It's about a little clown fish named Nemo, he gets lost and his dad searches the entire ocean to find him."

"Ohhh." Brahms turned his attention back to the tv and his eyes widened as he watched the screen, "It looks so real.." He whispered.

"It's called 3D Animation. They made this movie using computers, it's pretty common in movies these days."

Brahms paused, "What's a computer?"

Alice groaned, "I knew you were gonna ask that." She sighed, trying to find the right words, "It's like a calculator, only on a much bigger scale and you can do more with it. They started out really big, like one computer would take up an entire room, now, they're much smaller. Like, you remember my cell phone? That's basically a computer, it operates a lot like one." She felt a pang in her heart, she missed her phone and being able to get in touch with her loved ones with just a few presses of a button. "Brahms?"

Brahms turned his attention to her, "Yes, Alice?"

"Can I call my best friend sometime soon?" Alice bit her lower lip, her fingers fidgeting nervously.

"Once you're off restriction, but I'll be monitoring until I know I can trust you." Brahms said, his voice hitting a much lower octave, subtly warning her.

Alice nodded with a small, "Ok", and looked over at the tv, unconsciously picking at the skin of her arm as she watched the movie.

Brahms stayed glued to his seat, leaning forward with wide eyes as the movie unfolded. Alice glanced at him a few times, a small smile tugging at her lips when she took notice of his expression, there was something beautiful in these moments with him, she was introducing so many new things to him, and his childlike curiosity and wonder was almost heartwarming. Brahms gripped her hand in excitement a few times, unable to contain himself and Alice chuckled, giving his shoulder a small teasing shove to get him to release her hand. At the end of the movie, Brahms looked over at Alice, "Are there many other movies like this? With animation?"

"You'd be surprised how many. Disney and Pixar make the best ones in my opinion."

"Can we get those? I want to see all of them!" Brahms smiled with excitement.

Alice chuckled, "Yeah, we can, I'll get Brian to bring some."  

Brahms grinned and cupped her cheeks and leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers. Alice paused in surprise, her body stiffening in shock at the sudden touch of his lips, but she felt her body relax for a moment, his lips were like silk against hers. He slowly pulled away with a smile, "You're the best girlfriend in the world." He looked into her eyes. 

Alice felt her face turned a soft shade of pink, she swallowed nervously and tucked a loose curl behind her ear, "T-Thank you..?" She whispered. 

"I'll go grab the phone. Do you want me to make some tea while I'm downstairs?" Brahms asked, his heart fluttering, he could've kissed Alice for hours until his lips bruised, he didn't care, just as long as hers were against his. 

"Um..sure." Alice nodded.

Brahms hopped off the bed excitedly, a bounce in his step as he left the room.

Alice released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and she tried to fight against the blush creeping across her cheeks. She shook her head and silently reminded herself of all the wrongs he had done to her, a few niceties didn't make up for the fact that he had maimed her, but despite all that, her fingers ran across her lips absentmindedly and she felt as if she almost missed the warmth of his lips on hers.


	15. Break

Brahms set the kettle on the stove and rifled through the various boxes of tea in search of one of Alice's favorites. He grabbed a couple green tea with ginger tea bags and put them into the kettle, he pressed his back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest with a smile. He treasured these moments, the moments when everything between him and Alice was calm. He felt his stomach twist with guilt, he hated to lose his temper with her, but what was he supposed to do? When someone hurt you, wasn't it in the "good book" to take an eye for an eye? 

He thought to himself of the Bible, he had been raised a Christian, though his parents never took him to church after a particularly bad afternoon when he had drowned a rat in the holy water. His mother and father were firm believers of the philosophy that if you kept to the ten commandments, then you would be given entry into Heaven. He felt his stomach twist and he sighed, _I've already broken six of them, does that mean my place is with Lucifer in hell?_ He wondered to himself if he even believed in those stories, he had always loved hearing the terrifying stories of the Old Testament and the vengeful God it told of, but he wasn't sure if he even believed. _If God is real, there's no way I'll get into Heaven, no monster like me deserves a place in paradise, but..what about Alice? She's such a wonderful person, surely she'll be in Heaven, she'll be my angel from above while I rot and writhe down below, we'll never have a place together after death_ , he thought to himself and sighed, feeling tears fill his eyes. _Is there any hope for me at all? Mummy always said the only true crime was blaspheming against God, that anything else could be forgiven, but how do I even ask for forgiveness? Can forgiveness be given to monsters too?_

Brahms' hands clenched, he walked down the hall to the first floor bathroom and stepped inside, turning on the light and looking at his reflection with a look of disgust. He ran his fingers against the burned portion of his face, _No wonder she wants nothing to do with you, you look like a monster, and now you act like one,_ he thought to himself. Tears streamed down his cheeks and he thrust his hand forward, slamming his fist to the mirror, it fractured into a million pieces, a few embedding in his knuckles while the joints of his fingers ached in pain. He picked the pieces from his skin and let them drop into the sink, his hands trembling as he looked at his fractured reflection, _It's broken, just like me_. A sudden thought worked its way into his mind and he growled, gripping the sides of his head with a growl. "No. Stop!" He whimpered in frustration, trying to shake the idea from his head. _She can never love you, she's only treating you nicely so you'll let her go, the moment she has the chance, she'll run._ He looked down at his bleeding hand, his hand trembling with anger, he was fighting a losing battle, she would never love him, then why bother keeping her? _I should just let her go, she'll never love me like this._

Those dark thoughts circled his mind and he paced in the bathroom, trying desperately to fight against them, but it was no use. He was no fool, he knew that he could never be forgiven, especially by Alice. Brahms inhaled deeply through his nose and reached his hand into his pocket, pulling out the keys to Alice's shackles, and left the bathroom, walking up the stairs while the kettle began to boil over on the stove. Darkness stained the fringes of his mind, slowly spreading, choking his fragile mind.

Alice's head perked up when Brahms stepped into the room, a soft smile tugging at her lips. "Hey." She looked at his hands in confusion, noticing the keys and the blood on his right hand. "Brahms?"

Brahms looked at her with tear filled eyes, "I can't keep doing this anymore, Alice."

"I..I don't understand." 

Brahms threw the blanket off of her legs, "You don't love me, you never have and you never will, so..just leave." He grabbed her ankle, when she tried to pull it away, he jerked it back towards him and unlocked the lock, the chains went slack and slid off of her ankle.

Alice huddled close to the headboard, "Brahms, what's going on?" She whispered, her body shaking, she had never seen such a dark look in his eyes before.

Brahms met her eyes as a tear slid down his cheek, "Go." He begged. He watched her with furrowed eyebrows, how would she react being given her freedom, would she run? Would she stay? _If she runs_..he thought to himself, _I'll have no one, I'll be alone again._ This was the point of no return, her choice would determine his fate, he knew what would become of him if she ran. 

"I-" Alice stuttered, her eyes wide with confusion, tears filling them. "I don't understand."

"I said go!" Brahms screamed, throwing his fists down onto the bed in frustration, his senses heightened as adrenaline pulsed through every fiber of his being. _Stay, Alice. Please stay._

Alice jumped back in fear, whimpering as she watched him. She slowly got off of the bed and stood still, watching him as she sniffled, she took a deep breath and stepped forward slowly until the gap was closed between them both. "No." She shook her head.

Brahms' expression relaxed for a moment but hardened once more, he raised his hand in the air, "I said _go_ , Alice." He slowly lowered his trembling hand. _Love me, Alice, prove me wrong._

Alice gulped and slowly reached out her hands, placing them on either side of Brahms face, "No." She said resolutely, all trace of fear gone from her voice. "I can't." She shook her head and slowly traced her fingers along his burn scars, her eyes softening. "Why do you want me to go?" She whispered, a small pain tugging at her heart, why was he acting this way? Was it something she had done?

"I'll hurt you again. I don't want to cage something so beautiful, and that's what I'll do if you stay.."

Alice looked into his eyes, "I'm not afraid, and I'm not leaving." She took his right hand and slowly ran her fingers across the back of his hand, "I won't abandon you.." As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew she was done for, this was her first step down a path she thought she'd never take and there was no turning back. 

Brahms' body relaxed and he choked out a sob, resting his forehead against hers, "I love you so much, Alice.." He whispered, his voice cracking as it changed to a higher pitch, his vocal cords straining. His hands slid up her arms and he cupped her shoulders, "You have to leave, before I hurt you again, I don't want to hurt you.." He whispered, his shoulders trembling as he cried.

"There's good in you, Brahms..I _know_ there is, I've seen it." Alice ran her fingers through his hair and held him close to her chest, and she felt something in her mind let loose, as if she were barely hanging on by a thread and that tiny thread finally snapped. "I won't leave you, I..I love.." She whispered, her voice trembling, she hadn't said those words to anyone, not even her first love. "I love you."

Brahms slowly raised his head and looked into her eyes, he sniffled and smiled, enjoying the way the words sounded coming from her lips. "Alice.." He whispered and reached out his hand, cupping her right cheek. Her words shook him to his core, the only people who had ever said they loved him were his parents, and that was before the fire, ever since that day he had never heard the word leave his parents' mouths. He brought her face close to his and pressed his lips to hers, his own trembled. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and drew her close, his eyes fluttering closed as he enjoyed the feeling of her lips on his.

Alice whimpered against his lips, forcing aside any last feeling of reserve as she wrapped her arms around him. Was this the kind of love people wrote poems about? Was this the kind of love that broke worlds and started wars? It must be. Her heart fluttered and she felt warmth spread throughout her body, she had never been loved in her life, and now there was someone who loved her so completely that it was verging on obsession, surely this must be the truest purest love that other people sought out their entire lives.

Alice slowly pulled away from his embrace and sniffed the air, her eyes widening in alarm, "Is the kettle overboiling?" 

Brahms' eyes widened, "Oops!" He chuckled in embarrassment, "I'll be right back!" He disappeared from the room, his heart soaring within his chest. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine hearing Alice say those words with such conviction. _She loves me too, she wants to stay with me, our love is too strong, it will take more than pain to destroy what we have._

Brahms stepped into the kitchen and turned off the stove, taking the kettle off of the burner, steam rising into the air from the water hitting the fire. He chuckled to himself and ran a hand through his hair, wondering to himself how he could have even thought for a moment that Alice didn't return his affections. He had always had a hard time silencing the voices inside himself, though they did tend to tell the truth, they were wrong this time. Alice was his to love and care for, and now she was letting him. 

Alice stepped over to her dresser and opened the top drawer, pulling out a pair of black and white striped panties and pulled them on, thankful for the covering. She wasn't against walking around half dressed, but she knew her Brahms and it would only tease him and that wasn't fair. _My Brahms,_ she teased the thought around in her mind and felt her cheeks turn a soft shade of pink at the thought. She sat down on the bed and looked down at her ankle, thankful that the chafing metal chain was gone from around her skin, though she had gotten used to its constant clink-ing and the touch of its cold metal against her skin. _He trusts me not to leave_ , she thought to herself and felt a swell of pride within her. She looked down at her injured hand and felt a sense of love swell within her, _it had all been my fault, that was why he had hurt me, he could have killed me but he kept me alive because he loves me, this is what love is,_ she thought to herself and let her fingers gently run across the scab where her pinkie once was. _It doesn't even hurt anymore_ , she thought to herself and wiped away a stray tear, a smile tugging at her lips as she sobbed, feeling her last bit of sanity begin to fade from existence, she knew what was happening to her but there was little she could do to stop it. Ever since she had stepped foot onto the Heelshire estate, this train had been set into motion, and now the breaks were broken, there was no stopping the inevitable. 


End file.
